Per Sidenius is a vicar"s son, who quests for a happy life after a difficult upbringing in a highly religious home. In an act of rebellion and emancipation, young Per cuts all ties to his family and travels to Copenhagen to study engineering. He throws himself into the big city life. Alongside his studies, Per works on a huge visionary windmill project, that is so much ahead of its time that most consider him to be insane. Per meets the wealthy Jewish family Salomon which is a source for realising his windmill plans. He marries their daughter Jakobe, and thus rapidly climbs the social ladder. However, Per is not able to enjoy achieving his goals because of the burden of his social legacy.