With Sweden caught between Nazi Germany and Stalin's Russia, the country's elites chose a policy of neutrality and compliance, with few daring to speak up against the evil around them. Among those who did, nobody was as loud and as uncompromising as Segerstedt (Danish star Jesper Christensen, Nymphomaniac: Volume 1, Melancholia), one of the most prominent Swedish journalists of the 20th century. In the eyes of many of his countrymen, his pen was far more dangerous than the Nazi sword. Amidst the political turmoil of the era, Segerstedt's own personal life took a dramatic and scandalous turn as he entered into a very public affair with Maja Forssman, the Jewish wife of his close friend, the newspaper's publisher. Maja Forssman is played by Pernilla August, winner of the Cannes Best Actress Award for Bille August's Best Intentions.