I børnestuen

Jacob, a farm boy from Denmark, joins U.N. Brigade's peacekeeping force in Bosnia, where he witnesses refugees trying to escape their war-torn villages. There, Jacob is befriended by Sergeant Holt, a cynical soldier.

A prince with a small castle is interested in a princess in a large castle. The prince decides to give the princess various gifts. The princess is not pleased with the gifts. The prince decides to seek out the princess, but since he wants to know her true self, he travels as a swineherd. The prince has a pot with bells that plays "Ach du liebe Augusti." The princess wants to buy the pot, but the prince demands 10 kisses from the princess. Soon, the prince has something new that the princess wants to buy. This time, the price is 100 kisses from the princess.

On a specific day of the year, whoever could do the most incredible thing would win the princess. The various men who want to win the princess try to do the most incredible things. An artist has a unique clock that can show past times. The princess is very taken with the clock. The audience is enthusiastic about the clock, and the princess wants to be with the artist every day. The princess thinks it's incredible, but then a new man suddenly enters the picture. The audience is puzzled and will not accept the new turn of events.

A young man wants to be a poet so that he can get married. But it is not so easy to write poetry when you want to write poetry. He decides to seek help from the wise wife. The wise woman offers many wise words about how he should write poetry. She shows him how exciting her garden is, if only one has eyes and ears open to impressions and stories—and, not least, a heart.