This farce cocerns Sweden's King Gustav (Per Oscarsson who plays all the lead roles). The royal monarchs of three major European countries are patiently or not-so-patiently hovering on the sidelines while watching the future King Gustav closely. No single king appears to possess the brains he was born with, so history seems to be made by default, as it were. Gustav does blunder around, but not enough to miss being crowned king. As a result, France, England, and Germany invade Sweden hoping to take by force what they could not gain by incompetence.

Jan and Gertrud have a sexual relationship, even though they are half siblings. Jan is an air traffic controller, while Gertrude is writing a dissertation on ferns. Jan falls in love with another woman, Jenny.

In a Canadian village are women being killed by a psychopath. Chief Rich and Inspector McLane have no clue until McLane shoots a suspicious man. Now the killing seems to have ended, but the killer picks yet another victim...

Latvian soldiers seek political asylum in Sweden after their country falls under Russian control at the end of World War II. They had been forced into military service by the Nazis to fight against the Russians. Fearing reprisals from the Russians for fighting against them, they struggle desperately to stay in Sweden. After a hunger strike, suicides, and political intervention by Sweden fails to keep them from their former enemy, they are ultimately given over to the Russian authorities. The men are sentenced to hard labor in prison camps and later released, and Latvians are plunged into repression by the aftermath of the bloody war. The cycle of political unrest was still apparent more than 50 years after the conflict.