Tulle is a 9-year-old girl who spends the summer in the countryside with her mom and dad. The parents arguing and a divorce is imminent. Tulle longing for her friend Susse, who is still in the city.
As children in the loving Ekdahl family, Fanny and Alexander enjoy a happy life with their parents, who run a theater company. After their father dies unexpectedly, however, the siblings end up in a joyless home when their mother, Emilie, marries a stern bishop. The bleak situation gradually grows worse as the bishop becomes more controlling, but dedicated relatives make a valiant attempt to aid Emilie, Fanny and Alexander.