四个女人分别嫁给了四兄弟。一个夏天在等待丈夫回家休假的过程中,四人分别述说了各自的婚姻状况。一个因自己红杏出墙引致与丈夫争吵,一个在巴黎与一个艺术家相恋并有了孩子但却拒绝结婚,一个讲述了夫妻俩被困电梯的故事,最后一个则要与情人男友私奔。 伯格曼用室内剧的形式将女人们内心的秘密一一暴露出来,然而影片也强调这并不能减轻她们的压力和痛苦。这样的分享带来的只是苦难的交流和更难言的秘密。Rakel, Marta, Karin and Annette are married to four brothers. While waiting in a summer cottage for their husbands to come home, they tell each other stories about their marriages. Rakel tells about the time she had an affair and confronted her husband with it. Marta's story is about how she at first refused to marry and had her child by herself. Karin tells about what happened when one time she and her husband got stuck in an elevator together. While the women tell their stories, Marta's younger sister Maj is planning to elope.