In a small two-room apartment in a backyard in Vesterbro, Copenhagen, 14-year-old Ester lives with her father, mother, and older brother Carl. It is a typical working-class neighborhood of the time, and the apartment lacks any modern conveniences. Coal must be fetched from a dark basement where homeless people have sought shelter and lodging for the night. Ester is a dreamer. She wants to be a writer and secretly writes poetry. She often loses track of time and place when her thoughts wander.

Sofie Gråbøl
as Ester

Louise Fribo
as Lisa

Carl Quist Møller
as Carl

Vigga Bro
as Esters mor

Torben Jensen
as Esters far

Kirsten Lehfeldt
as Frk. Thomsen

Lene Vasegaard
as Lærerinden

Benny Poulsen
as Bananen

John Hahn-Petersen
as Gadebetjent

Birgit Conradi
as Skolesundhedsplejerske