Henk Rigters

Erik is trying to avoid the Nazi occupants and stay out of the hands of the Germans. Instead he is trying to be in Elly's arms.

Burgler and master safe-cracker Glimmie is asked to find a young woman called Fanny by her rich stepfather Van Borsen. However, Glimmie remains suspicious of the man and decides that Fanny has to be protected by him and his pal 'De Bonk'. He is soon proved correct and winds up a scapegoat in Van Borsen's scheme. After his release from prison, Glimmie plans his revenge with some help from a young cleaning girl called Slofje.

Lovable Amsterdam street urchin, 11 year old Ciske is nevertheless much in need of love as the Dutch 1984 title suggests. He is a scamp with a heart of gold. He causes havoc in the classroom pouring ink over his teacher yet when a polio-crippled boy joins the class Ciske is one of the only children to befriend him and is bullied as a result. His mother works in a bar and Ciske helps out often late into the night - his father is at sea and his mother supplements her income with prostitution. Ciske is also a very angry young man and he smoulders with rage at life's injustices.

During the second world war law student Hannie Schaft is a member of the Dutch resistance movement.