In 1807, a storm is brewing in the Norwegian-Danish kingdom. But far from the centre of action, in the charming coastal town of Christiansand south in Norway, life goes on as normal for servants and nobility alike. A soft breeze is blowing in from the harbour, the streets are filled with life, and in the market there is haggling over goods from far and wide. Gentlemen wander about in top hats, fine ladies coyly avert their gazes, busy maids scurry from one errand to another, and playful boys run between stalls.

As evening comes and darkness descends, a stately carriage with four magnificent horses rolls through the town. Inside sits a distraught young woman. Her whole life is based on a lie. Amalie Gren is now taken to her new guardian, the powerful Mr. Gyllenmark. He will say nothing about her past, but demands her absolute obedience when he marries her off.

Among the town's well-kept bachelors, Amalie meets again the handsome, but very condescending, Mr. Wickfall. Then the better option, surely, is the charismatic Captain Sjaaland, who likes her for who she is? But how well does she really know either them? It soon turns out that several of Amalie's new acquaintances have a hidden agenda - and that cynical power plays take place behind closed doors...