Per Brask is a fisherman's son, a lively 16-year-old boy, still too young to go out to sea, even though, like other boys on the west coast, he has to help out with the daily work. He is mostly preoccupied with playing, while dreaming of getting his own boat. The boys from the dunes are in a constant battle with the fjord boys, or land crabs – usually just called crabs – who are the boys from the village by the fjord or from the farms further inland.

In broad daylight, a man runs at full speed across the Town Hall Square wearing a dress and white. People stare in amazement as he tries to grab a seat in a phone box to make a call. However, his story is even more incredible than they can imagine.