Ranged across several generations, the story begins with a wealthy merchant, Lind, and his wife travelling in the coldest depths of winter to christen their baby daughter. Attacked by wolves, they lose the baby, which is found by the Lapp Jaampa (a dominating performance by Tryggve Larssen) and subsequently raised by a rich reindeer herder,

Jens von Bustenskjold is a farmer despite his more promising family past when his family was of a fine descent. But he is lazy, and he wants to improve by marrying rich. Then he inherits a large sum of money.