In rural Norway in the early 20th century, the homesteader Isak makes a farm out of barren soil, together with his wife Inger and their two sons. Life is both harsh and fulfilling.

In Iceland, the pride and honour of one’s family mean everything. Ørlygur á Borg is the most powerful man in the parish, and his son Ormarr is a man of action with a firm sense of justice, predestined to follow in his father’s footsteps. However, Ormarr has other plans for his life, and when one day he sets out for Copenhagen to study, his tyrannical brother takes advantage of the situation, seizing the farm and the role of ruler in the parish. (Stumfilm.dk)