In a small two-room apartment in a backyard in Vesterbro, Copenhagen, 14-year-old Ester lives with her father, mother, and older brother Carl. It is a typical working-class neighborhood of the time, and the apartment lacks any modern conveniences. Coal must be fetched from a dark basement where homeless people have sought shelter and lodging for the night. Ester is a dreamer. She wants to be a writer and secretly writes poetry. She often loses track of time and place when her thoughts wander.
Sofie Gråbøl
as Ester
Louise Fribo
as Lisa
Carl Quist Møller
as Carl
Vigga Bro
as Esters mor
Torben Jensen
as Esters far
Kirsten Lehfeldt
as Frk. Thomsen
Lene Vasegaard
as Lærerinden
Benny Poulsen
as Bananen
John Hahn-Petersen
as Gadebetjent
Birgit Conradi
as Skolesundhedsplejerske
Litten Hansen
as Esters moster
Margrethe Koytu
as Vaskekone
