Gunnar and Ulf are neighbors. They are both lured into a life of crime.

Lieutenants Johnny Waller and Ingvar Lund have been appointed captains of two torpedo boats.

When disillusioned Swedish knight Antonius Block returns home from the Crusades to find his country in the grips of the Black Death, he challenges Death to a chess match for his life. Tormented by the belief that God does not exist, Block sets off on a journey, meeting up with traveling players Jof and his wife, Mia, and becoming determined to evade Death long enough to commit one redemptive act while he still lives.