Fagin is the bad bird of an otherwise idyllic forest. He assaults the nest of two wrens and destroys all their eggs except one that, when hatched, is adopted by an owl (patterned on W. C. Fields). A counter-offensive against Fagin is launched with help enlisted from a seagull named Armstrong, two nice mice and a sparrow. There is romance, too, and a jazzy score goes with this animated ornithology extravaganza.

Herluf lives a complacent life with his wife Inger-Lise. Their daily routines are only interrupted by their daughter's marriages, the third now about to take place. But Herluf's problems are more serious than an indecisive daughter, his wife is cheating on him and he's started forgetting things at work. And one day Herluf doesn't return home.