An old poor man steals some wood and gets sentenced to 1 1/2 years of hard labor.

An old, poor worker who steals out of necessity a pack of firewood is caught and sentenced to 18 months of hard labor. 18 years later, the father's former employer, the rich manufacturer Hagberg, shows great interest in the old mans son Gustav because he has invented an explosive device. Hagberg wants to buy the invention but Gustav refuses to sell it. At the same time a strike breaks out at the factory.—Ulf Kjell Gür