The story follows young Helga who got fired from her job when her employee did not acknowledge that he is the father of her child. She appears in court against the father of her child, but withdraws her charge when he is about to perjure himself. This wins the admiration of Gudmund Erlandson, who persuades his parents to take the disgraced young woman into their home as a servant….

Selma Lagerlöf (1858-1940) was a Swedish author and teacher. She published her first novel, Gösta Berling's Saga, at the age of 33. She was the first female writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, which she was awarded in 1909.