In rural Norway in the late 1950s, Maria, the eldest daughter of a strict conservative priest, is tired of the constricting life she leads and dreams of being free.

In secret, she reads the more sensuous parts of ’The Song of Solomon’ and calculates that by the time of her imminent confirmation she will have spent 640 hours of her life sitting on the hard wooden pew of the church. She discovers in her father’s verger Mrs Tunheim a kindred spirit who encourages her to be true to herself, but she finds this difficult to put into practice.

An unexpected suicide and the chance discovery of her father’s secret provide the impetus for her to break free; she begins her rebellion by putting on make-up in secret, going to a cafe and dancing with boys.