The sleepy life of Dogville, a former mining town whose inhabitants are feeling the effects of the Great Depression, is stirred up by the dramatic arrival of a young stranger. The lovely Grace is on the run from gangsters and Tom Hanson (the first person she meets) offers her refuge. Because Tom is a local moral authority his fellow citizens agree to let Grace to stay for a while; in exchange she agrees to work. Although shy at first, when it appears that Grace is wanted by the police the locals become bolder and begin to require more and more work in order to compensate for the risk they are taking. The young woman, who gradually becomes a servant and even a slave when she tries to escape, discovers how relative the decency and integrity of these God-fearing people are. No one, however, suspects the secret that lies behind her escape from the gangsters. For his latest film Lars von Trier took inspiration from the song ,,Pirate Jenny" from Brecht's ,,The Beggar's Opera".
