As a teenager, Jan Thomas Hansen (Pål Sverre Valheim Hagen) and a friend run off with young boy Isak in a stroller left outside a cafe by the mother.

Pressured by his friend, Jan Thomas, afraid of the consequences, carries the boy into a nearby river with a strong current, where he sets him adrift.

He befriends Anna (Ellen Dorrit Petersen), the priest of the church and a single mother, and her young son Jens.

Agnes (Trine Dyrholm), Isak's mother, sees that Jan Thomas has been released and is concerned for the safety of her two adopted daughters.

With great danger for himself Jan Thomas catches him, and holds on to a branch, after which Agnes, in a surprise twist of plot, helps them reach the shore.