In Winter Stories, we meet a teenager on the run from social services with her younger half-sister and half-brother in tow, a young single mother struggling to provide adequately for her daughter, and an ex-convict striving to overcome personal shortcomings and build a relationship with his son. We watch these characters stumble, fall and climb to their feet again, even though the deck inevitably seems to be stacked against them.With empathy and sensitivity, Ingvild Rishøi beautifully illuminates the vulnerability of the human condition. In a time when levels of scepticism and distrust are rising, these stories remind us of the humanity that unites us all.