Kurt leads a quiet suburban life with his ambitious architect wife, Anne-Lise, their older son Bruse-Kurt, his overweight teenage daughter Helena, and his loyal youngest son Bud. He works as a skilled forklift driver who always wins the annual forklift race and is popular among his coworkers, coming home to a simple routine that includes making pancakes for the family. Yet a small tremor disrupts the calm when he notices a window breaking and learns that a wealthy neighbor, Dr. Petter, has moved in next door. As the new dynamic unfolds, Kurt feels pushed aside as his family leans toward the affable doctor and his influence grows, while his own motivation at work begins to waver.
In the days that follow, Kurt’s frustration swells as his wife seemingly works for Dr. Petter, and he begins to doubt his place in his own household and career. To reclaim a sense of control and purpose, he digs a hole with a shovel to create a makeshift pool for a backyard pool party, hoping to impress and connect with his family in a new way. But Dr. Petter’s pool party proves to be more stylish and successful, sharpening Kurt’s resolve to prove himself. The feeling of being overlooked deepens, and Kurt longs to be somebody more than the man who simply shows up each day.
A turning point comes when a rescued moment changes Kurt’s trajectory: he saves a sailor who falls into the water, and the grateful seafarer vows to reward him with his most prized possession. Motivated by this encounter, Kurt decides to act on a new impulse to demonstrate his worth. He takes Bud from kindergarten and heads to a restaurant, where they attempt to help a patient, with Bud assisting in the process. The restaurant owner rewards them with an extraordinarily luxurious dinner, and in a moment of bravado Kurt calls the manager to quit his current job, hoping to redefine his standing in life.
Their fortunes briefly shift when Kurt and Bud seek work at the hospital, hoping to join the staff of the renowned head doctor—the so‑called “supermegaoversjefsdoktoren.” Initially refused because they lack diplomas, the duo is nonetheless drawn into possibility when Bud helps a patient extract a toy train from his stomach, a small act that earns them a chance to prove themselves. On their first day, they manage two patients; as the second patient leaves, the chief doctor returns and asks for help with a surgery, testing the limits of their improvised skills and the boundaries of their pretended credentials.
Back at home, Kurt cooks dinner and proclaims himself a doctor, a declaration that infuriates Anne-Lise, who warns that posing as a doctor could land him in jail since true medical training takes years to master. The next day the hospital discovers the truth about their lack of qualifications, sparking a scandal that triggers a chaotic chase through the hospital corridors, with a police officer and the chief doctor pursuing Kurt and Bud. The fallout intensifies as Anne-Lise confronts Kurt again, and the family’s finances begin to crumble under the strain of legal risks and public scrutiny.
The tension escalates when a mysterious donor—indeed, the very sailor who helped Kurt before—appears in Kurt’s life again, offering a priceless diamond as thanks. Kurt sells the diamond for a staggering 50,000,000 kroner, a windfall that briefly raises hopes but also draws the attention of the authorities and creates new conflicts within the family and with Dr. Petter. A police fine follows after Kurt insults an officer, and the money affair complicates relationships at home, especially with those who stand to gain or lose from his sudden wealth.
Feeling emboldened by money but hollow inside, Kurt decides to run for prime minister, convinced that power could fix his standing and give him the respect he craves. The campaign ends in defeat, and the aftermath triggers a sharper turn: Kurt’s behavior grows increasingly destructive as he imagines himself wielding influence over the city. His actions culminate in an arrest for failing to destroy the Storting building, and he is forced to sleep on the floor in his cell as he faces a court that accuses him of malevolent intent, accompanied by a hefty 40,000,000 kroner fine.
A new, strange resolve emerges as Kurt builds a tower out of wood, a personal monument to control and order. His boss offers promotions that would elevate him within the forklift ranks, but Kurt refuses, choosing to stay at the margins where he feels most secure. Meanwhile, the kindergarten is destroyed, and in a final act of resolve, he uses his forklift to save the remaining students and their teacher, a moment that hints at redemption amid the chaos.
In the end, Dr. Petter moves out, the family quietly rebuilds the kindergarten, and Kurt returns to his skilled forklift work, a humble conclusion that suggests stability has returned even after a long, turbulent journey.
