Hannes, a school janitor in Iceland, retires. Hannes is a grumpy man. Grumpier still than most of the men in his profession. His children avoid the misanthropist, and his wife Anna suffers greatly under his moods. Now that he is retired, he becomes even more morose. The only pleasure he gets out of his miserable, unfulfilled life is when he puts out to sea in his little old fishing boat. But when that springs a leak, he is bound to the house. And no less so when his Anna suffers a stroke. Because Hannes suspects that he is part of the cause, he insists on looking after Anna himself, much to the children's protest. As Anna cries silent tears, her state increasingly deteriorates, and Hannes resolutely puts up resistance against fate ... This touching film by director Rúnar Rúnarsson masterfully depicts a broken character whose hardened outer shell obscures unexpected emotional sides. He overcomes his cold surroundings and his own callousness and develops something akin to warmth and effection, albeit without escaping his life's tragedy.