Frederik Larsen (Lau Lauritzen Jr.), a sailor and has sailed since he was 15. Now he has lost the desire for a sailor life, especially after his best friend Bob was lost in a hurricane. When his ship docks at Copenhagen, shortly before Christmas, he signs off with all his hire on the pocket. He seeks accommodations in sailor home Bertel, located on the nice side of Nyhavn. Here he can stay and eat for very little money. He delivers his kitbag to the concierge Henrik (Mogens Hermansen) before he was lured by accordion music and the laughter that comes to him from the "naughty" side of Nyhavn. In the Cafe "The black sails", he accidently joins Inger (Lisbeth Movin) at the same table, whose profession is not in the phone book, although it is the world's oldest. Inger is in the company of an unemployed stoker Vladimir W. Olsen (Poul Reichhardt) that is full of scams, and has a good mood.
Præsten i Solby låner 2.000 kr. i menighedsrådskassen for at betale for et af sine sognebørns hospitalsophold i Tyskland. Rigmandsdatteren Marianne skal være brudepige i Aalborg og tager fra København mod Jylland. I Solby kører hun for stærkt gennem byen, hvorfor hun kommer ud for et biluheld og lander i præstens have! Hun begynder straks at dirigere rundt med alle i præstegården, hvilket tante Marie bestemt ikke er glad for. Præsten er derimod tiltrukket af pigen. De bader i søen og går til bal sammen, hvilket medfører at fru Larsen tager ind for at tale med biskoppen. Efter at Marianne er taget tilbage til København melder Biskoppen sin ankomst i sognegården. Hvor skal præsten nu finde de 2.000 kr. ? Præsten har dog en del venner der forsøger at hjælpe ham, men han får også uventet hjælp af biskoppen.
Anno 1826. Grethi Birger is 17 years old and is now all alone in the world. Her mother is dead, and she has never known her father. Grethi are now looking for the mother's only sister, aunt Birger who has a laundry in a remote provincial town. Aunt is of strictly religious disposition, receiving sister daughter with cool goodness. When the young county clerk Peer discovers that Grethi is heir to a large fortune from his father, he plans to marry her without telling anything about the legacy.