Axel is unemployed and works illegally in an apartment. The young Linnéa who lives there has completely isolated herself from the outside world. Why does she stay locked up?
Ratio Rasch, the president of planet Gyllenblå, has banned laughter and emotions in order to create a society based on reason. Police are constantly patrolling the planet and anyone caught laughing is imprisoned and given anti-laughter serum. Only a few members of an underground guerrilla oppose the president. On Earth, the eccentric Dr. Krull listens to signals from outer space and realizes that something needs to be done so he sends the two children Cecilie and Fredrik to Gyllenblå. Epicykel, a guerrilla member, senses their presence and hopes to get to them first but fails. The children are put in school, where Fredrik has great difficulty controlling his laughter but Cecilie adapts well. The guerrilla knows that laughter is contagious and Fredrik gives them new hope of returning laughter to the people of Gyllenblå.
Flickan vid stenbänken is a Swedish 1989 TV series in nine episodes directed by Marianne Ahrne starring Anna Edlund, Anna Björk and Lena T. Hansson. The series was based on Maria Gripe's books Skuggan över stenbänken, ...och de vita skuggorna i skogen and Skuggornas barn.
Rød Snø is a Norwegian/Swedish thriller television series made in 1985, directed by Bo Hermansson and written by Tony Williamson. It stars Tomas von Brömssen, Kjersti Holmen and Sven Nordin.