Losing their father very young, the brothers teen Erik and pre-teen Elmer grow up in Denmark as rascals out of control. Their mother can hardly earn enough to raise them, let alone be present, and falls gravely ill, their only uncle being a semi-deadbeat who can't convince the authorities he may offer a stable home. So they are 'temporarily' confined to a strict boarding school, a cross between Dickensian orphanage and reformatory. Well-reputed director Frederik Heck is in line for a royal order, but wining and dining the school inspector covers up a reign of terror, where knaves are treated as forced laborers, dreaming only of their release at 15, or the rare return to families if they have one, a hope cruelly crushed for the boys after mother dies and uncle fails to pass official muster as would be-guardian. The brothers are beaten into obedience, initially with the abusive complicity of their terror-affected peers, but would be-astronaut Elmer's talent as storyteller renders them popular. New teacher Lilian takes Elmer under her wing, but gives in to Heck's orders of harshness and ends up quitting, leaving the boys with abusive staff, including a rapist who is covered for the school's sake, but falls victim to Erik's daring revenge. With a new school inspector unwilling to be bought off, the brothers hatch a daring plan.
—KGF Vissers