Policeman Karl Jørgensen was once a prominent detective, but due to a violent temper he's now checking out passports at the airport, smuggling stout to work in his thermos every day. However, Kaj, the boyfriend of his daughter, is suddenly killed by a heroin overdose injected by hooded gangsters. It turns out he was spying on their organisation for his brother, Frank, who was framed by them while smuggling narcotics. When Frank hears about Kaj's death, he escapes from prison to get back at the killers. Meanwhile, the same gangsters threaten Karl Jørgensen's daughter, and soon Karl is involved in a major drug smuggling case. Frank and his buddy rob a bank and shoot a police officer. A country-wide manhunt ensues while Karl is having trouble with controlling his daughter's vigilante activities, with finding out who killed Kaj, with the police detectives on the case and with his own alcoholic and lacking existence.

Four Danish kids find a cookie jar filled with cash while playing in the woods. They decide to keep the money, at least until a reward is offered. But the crooks want "their" money back and will do whatever necessary to accomplish this.