As Álfgrímur, an orphaned boy, begins to encounter the minor politicians, businessmen, and social-climbers of the growing town of Reykjavík, he starts to question his future as a fisherman's grandson and is increasingly fascinated by Garðar Hólm, the celebrated Icelandic "world singer" whose sporadic returns to Iceland encourage Álfgrímur to pursue his own personal goals of self-expression. He discovers the true value of his boyhood experiences only as he sets out on a path that will take him away from them forever.