An estate near Stockholm just after the turn of the century. Solicitor Egerman, married to an as of yet untouched wife, suddenly feels attracted to his former lover again, the actress Desiree. Henrik, his son from his first marriage who has just been ordained, is weary of life and wants to commit suicide. He decides instead to do a runner with his stepmother. Simultaneous to the action taking place in the upper storeys of the Egerman house, the servants are eagerly bed-hopping, too … The brittleness of human relationships and the never-ending pursuit of happiness are topics that Ingmar Bergman has dedicated all his films to. “Smiles of a Summer Night” is an exception in Bergman’s oeuvre in that it is a comedy. Here the pursuit of happiness and love becomes grotesque and shows ever new variations of the twists and turns of longing hearts.