Somewhere on the island of Funen, where the hedgerows surround the meandering fields, lies Uglegaarden. It is the largest and richest farm in the parish, and is owned by the widow Dora and her three brooding stepsons Karl, Viggo and Thomas. Their regular haunt is the village inn, where the crone Sara has to put up with their coarse-grained advances. The three brothers have big plans for the small neighboring farm Mosegaarden. They have discovered that under Mosegaarden's lean fields and high slopes there are large quantities of raw gravel. Chr. Thorup, who owns the site, has mortgaged the farm far above the chimneys. Now the Uglegaards brothers are just waiting for the right time to take over Mosegaarden. But when Thorup's son, Henrik, unexpectedly shows up at Mosegaarden, the three brothers' sinister plans are thrown into disarray.