It is a two-part novel.

Ólavur is excited, now that his wife is about give birth, and she delivers a healthy boy, whom they name Jóhannes.

A lifetime passes in between the first and the second part.
For the second part, we see and hear everything through Jóhannes.

We follow him on an average day.
But everything is different this day.
From early morning to late at night, Jóhannes is surprised at how foreign everything seems. The smokes are different, all objects are more distant and have lost their usual content. Not everything is there.

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… and Jóhannes looks up and sees tears in Pætur’s eyes
No, it was not good, says Pætur
It was bad news, he says
The ocean does not want you, he says
and Pætur dries his tears
Then, the only thing remaining is the dirt, says Pætur