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.