Norway in the 10th century. Askur, son of the powerful Thorgeir marries Embla, daughter of one of the few remaining landowners in Norway, in a pagan ceremony. King Olav, a ruthless christian, wants to eredicate all traces of non-christian beliefs and captures the two of them during the ceremony. In order to free Embla, Askur must go to Iceland and convert the people there to catholicism.

The annual winter fisheries are about to start, but the great catch never seems to come. It turns out that large industrial trawlers have emptied the ocean of fish, and the ordinary little fishing boats will have a hard time surviving. Elias gathers all his friends in order to save the future of his tiny coastal community.

After a brave rescue mission in stormy weather, a young rescue boat is headhunted to a larger harbor where he realizes that bigger is not always better.