Marilyn Jordan, an American, lives in Stockholm with her Swedish husband and family. Her behavior is bizarre, perhaps mad: she poisons the dog's milk and advises the dog not to drink it; she sets the sheets afire as her husband sleeps; she crawls under the dining table to sing. While detained at airport customs for carrying pruning shears, she meets a young Yugoslav woman and goes with her to a Gypsy enclave where she's fought over, takes a lover, helps with the sordid entertainment at a bar, and returns home more dangerous than before. The film also tells parallel stories of Marilyn's daughter becoming a junior homemaker as the young immigrant practices her striptease.
Susan Anspach
as Marilyn Jordan
Erland Josephson
as Martin Jordan
Marianna Jacobi
as Cookie Jordan
Jamie Marsh
as Jimmy Jordan
John Zacharias
as Grandpa Bill
Per Oscarsson
as Dr. Aram Pazardjian
Marina Lindahl
as Secretary
Borivoje Todorović
as Alex Rossignol
Lisbeth Zachrisson
as Rita Rossignol
Svetozar Cvetković
as Montenegro
Patricia Gélin
as Tirke
Dragan Ilić
as Hassan
