Lotta is one of three sisters raised by a calculated and ambitious mother. From the time they are born, each sister already has a career laid out for them by Mother, and she begins preparing them for said careers at a very young age. Now older, Lotta has returned home for the holidays from her schooling where she learns shorthand and studies journalism. Mother sends Lotta off to her aunt and uncle's house. At the train station, Uncle Viktor and Aunt Irma can hardly believe it is Lotta who has arrived. She has grown up and looks mature now, and is strikingly beautiful. Lotta is aware of the way men seem to be aware of her presence in a way they did not used to be just last year. At dinner that night, Aunt Irma praises Lotta for her budding career in journalism, saying there is nothing better for a woman than a career, an ironic statement coming from a woman without one. After nearly a week in Sala, where her aunt and uncle live, Lotta is still gaining attention for her beauty. One day she is on a walk with Aunt Irma when they run into Assessor Haan, a lifelong admirer of the aunt. He links arms with the two and walks with them, showering them in compliments the entire time. Irma sends Lotta to buy sweets and talks alone with the Assessor. The longer she stays, the closer Lotta gets to the cook of the house, Bina. She admires how free and direct Bina is in her speech, and is intrigued by her disregard for careers. Outside the window, men who have been arrested are being dragged to jail violently. The routine activity used to make Lotta laugh when she was little, but as soon as Bina laughs in that moment she becomes acutely aware that she no longer finds it funny, and that she is a different person now than she used to be. Since her encounter with the Assessor, everyday when Lotta goes to skate on the frozen river, he is standing on the shoreline watching her. One day, she skates over to him and begins a conversation. He walks her home and speaks words of praise over her. Aunt Irma sees them as they approach the house and the Assessor quickly leaves. Once inside, Aunt Irma is cold with Lotta, and the girl realizes her aunt is jealous of her. The realization shifts Lotta's own self perspective and gives her a sense of empowerment. She reflects on Mother's plans for her life and decides that she wants something different and is no longer afraid to chose for herself. When she gets on the train to go home, she sees a handsome young man wearing the same type of hat that the Assessor wore, an astrakhan cap. He is sitting in first class and all the other seats on the train are full, but he offers Lotta the one next to him. She begins to decline but then changes her mind and accepts it. The young man expresses his gratitude for her acceptance of his offer, and Lotta waves to Aunt Irma as the train leaves the station.