It is set between 1933 and 1945, and focuses on the life and career of Torgny Segerstedt, a Swedish newspaper editor who was a prominent critic of Hitler and the Nazis during a period when the Swedish government and monarch were intent on maintaining Sweden's neutrality and avoiding tensions with Germany.

Around that time he received a phonecall from the writer Kenne Fant, who in 2007 had published a biography about Torgny Segerstedt, an early outspoken critic of Adolf Hitler who before and during World War II had been the editor-in-chief of the newspaper Göteborgs Handels- och Sjöfartstidning.

Initially, Troell had problems finding an approach for the film's narrative, but soon read another biography about Segerstedt, written by his secretary Estrid Ancker.

Troell also read Ancker's research material for the book, which included interviews with more than 300 people connected to Segerstedt.

The director then chose to make a film which focuses on Segerstedt as a human being more than as a public figure.

[5] After that the team relocated to Gothenburg for eight weeks of filming, which consisted of exterior scenes and on-location interiors.