Following the death of his wife, weary Lasse Karlsson leaves everything behind in poverty-stricken Skåne County, Sweden, to start anew in the Danish island of late 1850s Bornholm with his twelve-year-old son, Pelle. However, the dream of a better life turns sour on arrival, and when the father and son finally manage to land a job as swineherds at the estate of the wealthy landowner, Kongstrup, they soon realise that they are at the bottom of the social system. As Pelle is forced into maturity, learning how to survive the inhuman living conditions, a noble idea begins to form: earn enough money to travel to exciting, far-off America and, eventually, conquer the unknown but fascinating world out there.
Sofie Gråbøl of The Killing fame seen naked as she kneels beside some water and washes her clothing in it, showing full-frontal nudity in the process. From Pelle the Conqueror (AKA Pelle erobreren).
