The film is set in a remote Danish village in the late 19th century. Babette (played by Asta Bennie Hostetter), a Norwegian woman, flees her war-torn country and finds refuge in the village, where she becomes the housekeeper of a strict Lutheran pastor, his wife, and their two daughters. As time passes, Babette becomes an integral part of the community, but her past experiences and culinary skills are suppressed.