The year is 1956. Living alone on a small farm somewhere in the heart of Sweden is Olof. In the afternoons, he gets help from Erik, a 27-year-old former sailor who brags about having had hundreds of women and who now looks after the area's cemetery. They have an odd but deep friendship. One day, Olof places an ad in the newspaper – “Lonely farmer, 39 years old, his own car, is looking for a young woman as a housekeeper. Photograph is desired". The result is that Ellen, a 34-year-old woman from the city, comes and takes over the household and over the course of the summer also Olof's heart. From sowing to harvest, the film depicts their relationship and its consequences for the three main characters.