Reine is supposed to go to a summer camp called Children's Island but decides to remain in Stockholm over the summer while his mother is working at a hospital. She thinks he is at the camp, and he tells her he is. We then follow him around Stockholm that summer and see what he encounters on the path of life.

Mackan's real name is Margaret. She is 14 and moves a lot because her father is employed at the Railroad Company. In a small town she meets Kenneth. He is 18 and the coolest guy in town. Their relationship is a major triumph for Mackan.