In this second volume, Kristin is full of remorse for her sins. She fears for the fate of her unborn child as it is conceived in great sin.  

The gilded wreath, which she illegitimately wore after she had been seduced, she gives to the shrine.  

Her marriage with Erlendur is not what she had dreamed of. The farm has been mismanaged and must be rebuilt. And as the years pass, a flock of children amasses around her.  

Erlendur takes up a position up north, to keep Russians and others away from Norwegian territory.  

The political situation is complicated and dark clouds are rising on the horizon. Erlendur knows, he is fully aware that he cannot shrug off the reality facing him. But his errors in judgment prove to be fateful for him and his household.