Hannes is an old man who has grown apart from his children. Recently retired when his wife gets ill he tries to reconcile with them and to atone for his cold demeanor in the past.

Set in present-day Reykjavík, Fiasco draws a narrative circle of interconnecting stories in which three members of the Bardal household deal with the secret loves in their lives. Karl, an old age pensioner, is busy chasing after an amnesic old screen legend. Julia, Karl's granddaughter, is torn between a mediocre bank manager and a wild sailor, and tells them both she is pregnant. But is she really? Steingerdur, Julia's mother, has a wild crush on a preacher who has a serious drinking problem, and ends up with a dead stripper in his Jacuzzi. The characters cross each other as the film progresses, until the three interwoven strands of the story finally come together in an explosive and hilarious crescendo full of surprises.