It's 1979. Henrik Bertelsen, a baby boomer, is an economist at the Ministry of Labour in Copenhagen. Married to Englishwoman Sammy, they pour their hearts into building a co-housing community in North Zealand while navigating the complex process of adopting a child from Indonesia. Henrik craves a period of undisturbed stability to secure his career as a civil servant.

Unexpectedly, he is asked to renovate and manage hospital kitchens in Saudi Arabia. His inner adventurer awakens, and with a short leave of absence from the ministry, he seizes the opportunity. The project escalates, and suddenly, he is caught in an armed religious uprising in Mecca. Trapped between rebels and police, Henrik is in trouble.

He manages to escape and is whisked out of the country. As he catches his breath, an American computer company offers him a lucrative job, setting his life on an entirely new path.