At the age of five, Kalle loses his parents, an event he initially finds hard to grasp. His grandmother lovingly takes him in. Although he appreciates her company, Kalle realizes that life with his grandmother is different from life with his father and mother. His grandmother, a caring but older woman, worries about whether she can properly raise Kalle at her age. She shares stories with him from her own childhood, when the world was very different. Together they take a trip and have a lot of fun. At the age of ten, Kalle's grandmother becomes ill, and only then does Kalle begin to realize that she needs him too.