Major General Adam Munthe and his close friend, physician Johannes Paludan, both natives of the Flemish city of Ghent, are increasingly troubled by the harsh treatment of Protestants in their home city during the 1540s. The two friends decide that they should become Protestants, flee Flanders and settle in a country where there is greater religious tolerance. Among their concerns are certain critical family issues. Arnold de Fine, a virtuoso organist in the Flemish city of Antwerp, also considers becoming a Protestant and moving to a more tolerant country. The single young man and a musician friend deliberate over their ties to their homeland and their career prospects in another country. In the end, they flee Flanders and settle in Denmark. Both Luebeck and Copenhagen welcome the immigrants from Flanders. Interesting opportunities are available to them. Early descendants of the Flemish families in Luebeck migrate to Denmark where they pursue careers in the fields of both education and the Lutheran church. Later descendants migrate from Denmark to both Sweden and Norway where a number of them become prominent leaders in the Lutheran church. Although Flemish descendants in Scandinavia are remarkably successful, some of them experience terrible tragedies.