The expression "de Kegnæs kukker" can be traced back to the 1600s. In the years 1667-84, Captain Wolf-Rathlou ruled the Hjortholm farm. He was a farmer tormentor and womanizer of the worst kind. While the farmers worked in the fields, he visited their wives and daughters. Like a cuckoo, he laid his eggs in other people's nests. The film tells the story of a young farmer who stands up to the tyrant because he has assaulted his pregnant wife. This triggers a series of dramatic situations that culminate during an auction on Michaelmas Day in 1680.