Kristin counts down the days to her high school graduation, when she'll finally get to leave her small town and her manipulative sister behind, for the New York of her dreams. Everything is perfect, and the local paper has promised to publish Kristin's columns about the city that never sleeps. But Kristin misses her flight and, to escape total humiliation, instead ends up hiding out at the house of the peculiar young girl Andrea, far out on the countryside. In this house of Nowhere, Kristin brings Andrea along to the pulsating heart of New York on a big virtual adventure which she chronicles for everyone at home to follow. But then reality comes knocking.

For over 40 years, Harold has been running a successful business, Lunde Furniture, together with his wife, Marny. This comes to an end when IKEA decides to open a new superstore right next door to Harolds small furniture shop. Harold and Marny lose both their shop and their home to the bank, and to make matter worse, Marny is starting to lose her memory. In mounting anger and desperation, Harold wants revenge. He arms himself with a pistol, gets into his old Saab, and sets off for lmhult, Sweden, to kidnap his nemesis, the founder of IKEA, Ingvar Kamprad.