At the beginning of the story stands death, but in truth, this novel celebrates life: it tells the story of Ari and his family over several generations; of the passion between man and woman, of forbidden love, violence, sorrow, betrayal, and oppression. In Ari's family, happiness and misfortune are equally passed down from one generation to the next. At the provisional end of this saga stands Ari himself, on his way to confront his father, with whom he still has unresolved issues before he dies. Jon Kalman Stefánsson captures this raw beauty of life, which is also inscribed in the Icelandic landscape, in his archaic and moving yet completely contemporary and humorous prose like few other authors of his generation.