In this epic historical drama, set in the 10th century, a young Christian man is sent by his Scandinavian superiors to Iceland to assist in the conversion of that island to Christianity. Young Askur is deeply in love with Embla, but he must leave for the remote realm of Iceland on his mission before he can come back and make her his wife. There is much bad blood between those who follow the old ways and those who follow the new, and a strong arm on the side of the Christians is warmly welcomed. This production drew on talent and funding from all over Scandinavia and by local standards was a phenomenally expensive picture, costing around $7 million dollars to make; it did not repay these costs during its Scandinavian release.