Johannes Vig lives a lonely life on Sandø. He is a schoolteacher, and since Sandø is currently cut off from the outside world due to ice, the island's population must fend for themselves. Johannes is secretly in love with both Annemari, the grocer's young daughter, and Rigmor, the farmer's wife. At the same time, Johannes' life is very bleak, and he finds it difficult to express his love. Life on the island is disrupted by Harry, a young engineer who is courting Annemari. Annemari's boyfriend is currently on the mainland, which is why Johannes is watching over her virtue.