Vikings pillage Ireland, seeking silver and slaves, slaying men and women in the process. A young boy is spared when a Viking takes pity on him instead of killing him. Twenty years later the boy returns to Iceland take his revenge.

Benjamín Eiríksson, a middle-aged man, has reached a cross-road in his life. A pioneer in engineering, who has achieved all the goals open to him in his profession. A respected father and loving husband, his heart is now silent. His children are leaving home, his wife is estranged from him. The vast power-stations, once the proud symbols of his ingenuity and creativity, now appear merely stark monuments to vanity and futility. Craving love, friendship, understanding, he tries to make a fresh start, in search of a life of adventure, a life with meaning.