Financial struggles separate a single mother from her children.
Ingeborg Holm's husband opens a grocery store and life is on the sunny side for them and their three children--until her husband becomes sick and dies. Ingeborg tries to keep the store, but because of the lazy, wasteful staff she must eventually close it. With no money left, she must move to the poorhouse and is separated from her children. Her children are taken care of by foster-parents, but Ingeborg simply must get out of the poorhouse to see them again.—Mattias Thuresson
First Act
Ingeborg Holm (Hilda Borgström), her husband Sven (Aron Lindgren), and their young son, Erik (Bertil Malmstedt), return home after spending time in a local garden. While settling in for dinner, now joined by their two daughters, Erik brings in a letter for Sven.
The letter informs Sven that he is receiving 10,000 crown credit he requested from the Colonial-Produce Company to open a store. Ingeborg, with the help of their maid, put the children to bed and then she and Sven begin to happily discuss the future.
They are interrupted by Erik who retrieves a pillow before returning to bed. The two laugh at their young son but Sven begins to have a coughing attack before recovering quickly.
Later Sven has moved into the store and begins to set it up. He is visited by his wife and their son, but he then collapses suddenly. He is taken to bed and diagnosed with a blood clot.
Sven's employee (Erik Lindholm) who is running the shop in his absence spends most of his time flirting and ignoring customers he is not interested in.
Sven suffers another attack while bedridden and passes away.
Ingeborg is visited by a collector who requests payment of certain bills within a week, or she will face legal ramifications. She does not have the money to pay the bills and writes a letter pleading for assistance.
Second Act
Ingeborg reluctantly seeks help at the poorhouse from the welfare board for the poor. She presents a doctor's note explaining that Ingeborg is suffering from an ulcer and cannot seek work. She is offered 20 crowns a month or she can accept a position at the workhouse and her children will be put into foster care. Recognizing that the funds would not be nearly enough to support her family, she decides to stay at the poorhouse in hopes her children will be given better lives.
Back at the Holm residence, the children prepare flowers for their mother. A police officer (William Larsson) and a helper arrive inform the Holm children of Ingeborg's decision and the five begin to pack up her belongings.
Ingeborg's children bring her belongings and have a last visit with their mother at the poorhouse. Erik is given to a new family first, a devastating moment for Ingeborg. She preps the other two children for their foster families, due to arrive the next morning.
The following morning Ingeborg says goodbye to her remaining two children before they are taken away by their new foster families. Distraught over the day's events, Ingeborg faints.
Ingeborg begins to settle into the poorhouse those faces some hostility from other residents for her refusal to drink. The poorhouse receives a letter requesting money for an operation that Valborg, one of Ingeborg's daughters, needs. Ingeborg inadvertently sees the letter and begs the poorhouse superintendent (Georg Grönroos) to allow her to visit Valborg, but she is rejected.
Third Act
Ingeborg sneaks out that night to visit Valborg. Ingeborg's disappearance is noticed when a large scarf she was wearing is found and identified by the resident who offered her alcohol (Jenny Tschernichin-Larsson). The superintendent calls the sheriff to conduct a search.
Ingeborg is picked up and taken much of the way by a passerby in a carriage. Exhausted, she arrives at a farmhouse and is taken in by the farmer's wife, a young mother herself. Ingeborg is given some tea and food before falling asleep on the couch.
The police are hot on Ingeborg's trail and arrive at the farmhouse. The farmer (Hugo Björne) and his wife alert Ingeborg of the police's arrival and the two hide her in the cellar, covering the cellar door with their kitchen table.
The farmer at first tries to shoo the police away but after they insist, he lets them in while he sneaks to the back of the house. The wife denies seeing anyone and forces the police to sit for tea while her husband sneaks Ingeborg out a back door of the cellar.
The police officers notice the cellar door and move the table to search it. Meanwhile, the farmer as taken Ingeborg to a nearby forest and sends her in the right direction for help. The police do not find anything in the cellar and leave the house.
At her foster family's home, Valborg is bedridden with her illness. Ingeborg comes across the foster mother outside of the home and begs to see Valborg. However, before she can enter the home she is found by the police and passes out in exhaustion.
Ingeborg is taken inside home and reunites with her daughter before fainting again. She is taken away by the police this time.
Fourth Act
Back at the poorhouse Ingeborg is brought before the superintendent and the financial officer of the poorhouse. The constable provides a bill to the poorhouse for Ingeborg's capture though the constable is sympathetic to Ingeborg.
The foster mother brings the youngest child back to the poorhouse for a visit with Ingeborg, but the child does not recognize Ingeborg. She is heartbroken and suffers a mental breakdown. She is taken to a psychiatric ward, believing that her rolled up apron is one of her children.
15 years later, Erik (also portrayed by Aron Lindgren), now an adult, returns to Sweden after living overseas. He hopes to find his mother, who still carries of photo of. He arrives at the poorhouse and is informed that Ingeborg has been mentally ill for years. Erik demands to see her and Ingeborg is brought in.
She does not recognize him at all and is now cradling a plank of wood believing it to be one of her children. Heartbroken Erik begins to leave but turns around and shows Ingeborg the photo. She recognizes herself and it breaks her illness. The two embrace.
