In 1971, 15-year-old Ted Gärdestad is playing Björn Borg in the finals of the Swedish tennis championships. He notices Borg's girlfriend Helena Anliot in the audience, and his concentration is disrupted by a sudden inspiration for a song about her. He loses the game, to his father Arne's displeasure. Ted is further inspired by meeting a girl in his school library, who is studying a book about the universe; this leads to Ted and his brother Kenneth writing and recording the songs "Universum" and "Snurra du min värld" and bringing them to the record company Sweden Music in Stockholm. Here they meet Benny Andersson and Stikkan Anderson; Ted pretends that he has left the taped recording at home and starts to play "Jag vill ha en egen måne", catching the interest of the two Anderssons and leading to a contract. Arne has meanwhile tried to get Ted tennis lessons with Björn Borg's coach, and is upset when Ted misses his first coaching session.