Herman is the warm-hearted story of an 11 year-old boy who encounters a stumbling block on the path to puberty premature (and rapid) hair loss. The setting is Oslo 1961, a time when people didn't have pat answers for per­sonal problems, and young Herman, poised on the verge of adolescence, confronts more than the usual problems affecting children of that age.

Herman's father is a crane operator, his mother helps out at a greengrocer's They are loving parents, but they have a hard time understanding their son's moods and imagina­tive intellect. As his hair disappears, Herman hides under a variety of hats At night, he dreams of Zorro coming to his rescue, but even Zorro admits to being stumped by the boy's particular problems.

His parents and doctors have no remedy, and his schoolmates use Herman as an easy target for their malicious humour It isn't until he encounters. Ruby, a red-haired clarinet play­er, that things begin to look up Herman is a delightful film not about a boy losing his hair, but about how he deals with it.