Henrik is divorced from Mona and father to two adult sons. The youngest one is about to marry, while the oldest, Simon, is an eternal cause of worry for his father.
A peasant wedding marks the start of the summer. But top of mind for Henrik is his plan to pick up a broken friendship. He intends to go to a classical music festival in an idyllic town down south and see Mogens, the Danish musicologist who taught Henrik how to listen bar for bar. At the time, the modernists were all the rage, the works of Schönberg, Berg and Webern were worshipped, while more atmospheric, melodic works were the object of contempt. Henrik accepted Mogens’ teachings without reservations, up until one fateful night at museum for modern art, where Norway’s musical elite had gathered to sit on the floor, breaking twigs in time with a poetry reading by John Cage. Mogens too had let himself be duped by the zen buddhistic event. A betrayal, according to Henrik.
His oldest son, Simon, shows up in Henrik’s summerhouse. Simon has finally found a girlfriend and Henrik sees hope, even for him. Let this become an unforgettable summer with Simon!, the slightly desperate music lover thinks to himself. And in the festival town, he finally meets the sharp-tongued professor Mogens again.
