故事发生在新年来临之夜，传说每年的这个夜晚，死神就会来到人间挑选一个罪孽深重的人来驾驶他的马车。这次被选到的是个抛妻弃子又嗜酒如命的流浪汉，在流浪汉由于自己的作风问题而即将被夺走生命时，一个孱弱的修女用基督之爱拯救了他

Story of an inventor who, suffering betrayal in life, makes a career of it by becoming a clown whose act consists of getting slapped by all the other clowns. He falls in love with another circus performer, and those who betrayed him enter his life yet again.

瑞典电影先锋维多舍斯特伦第八部作品，原着爲尼斯克奥的舞台剧。编导藉本片表现他们对现实社会的关切之情，笔触尖锐有力。在二十世纪初期，瑞典有一条“贫民法桉"，其中有一个法律漏洞可以让投机者从贫穷的寡妇身边买走她的子女。本片的拍摄主旨是批出这个可怕的惨剧，让观衆对这个有失公正的制度有所反省。影片开始时，英厄堡·霍尔姆是一个快乐的太太，她丈夫是个成功的小店东，他们有三个年幼子女，家庭生活幸福。不料霍尔姆先生突然因心髒病发去世，霍尔姆太太面对债务无法偿还，遂被政府送入贫民营中，她的子女亦一个一个被逼走。后来，她逃出贫民营去探望生病的女儿，但被人发现，再次被送回贫民营。霍尔姆太太因优伤过度而头发全白，还精神恍惚地抱着一条围巾当女儿。最后，她终于被逼得发疯了。本片像别的瑞典片一样，大部分以外景拍摄。导演处理感情场面十分出色，表现出悲天悯人的情怀，堪称是影史上最早的“社会写实片"代表作。

It is extraordinary that this amazing film is not repeatedly shown. It is possibly the best demonstration of the genius (not an assessment to make casually) of Sjöstrom - with David Griffiths, the first person to demonstrate his brilliance by making films.
The film's aware mix of the naive vision of the ancestors sitting in the lodge in heaven, which Sjöstrom's character reaches by climbing a ladder to the clouds, and the grim, realist material of the unfaithful wife's child, alone would make it outstanding but finding this at a stage where it had virtually nothing in the way of antecedent is staggering.
Modern prints may not do justice to the sophistication of the film making. The performances do survive un-dimmed. Curious that Sjöstrom was able to take his mastery to Hollywood when the Scandinavian industry faltered but not to survive the challenge of sound - something which remains a mystery that could stand investigation.

不明身份的流浪者来到冰岛高原的牧场。一位已经丈夫去世富有的女农场主收留了这个流浪者，让他做雇工。不久，女农场主爱上了这个人，提拔他为总管。肥胖的村长曾经向女农场主求婚，被拒绝了，现在见到这个情况，嫉妒异常。他暗中调查出流浪者的身份，原来这是一个在其他地方被判刑的逃犯。女农场主放弃了一切拥有的财产，和流浪者为了躲避追捕，逃向深山老林，在喷泉和瀑布边上生活。几年以后，他们生下一个男孩。牧羊人发现了他们，村长带人来追捕他们。女农场主和流浪者把孩子扔下悬崖抛入急流险滩中，逃进大山深处。许多年过去，两个情人老去。严冬中，他们在山中的小屋里，回顾过去的往事，感到了一种无名的恐惧，最后在可怕的大风雪中死去。

based on novel

挪威著名剧作家易仆生编剧，北欧电影黄金时代的开篇之作。全片實景挪威海岸拍攝，拍攝難度與戲劇張力超越當代。原本平凡的水手，戰時為了養家活口冒險出航，卻被軍人所俘。多年後脫身返家卻人事已非，只有滿腔怨怒相伴。某天，當年俘虜他的仇敵與相隨的妻女海上落難待援，他奮勇而至，卻陷入「復仇還是救援？」的天人交戰。
Terje Vigen, a sailor, suffers the loss of his family through the cruelty of another man. Years later, when his enemy's family finds itself dependent on Terje's beneficence, Terje must decide whether to avenge himself. Based on a poem written by Henrik Ibsen and entirely on location shooting at the Norwegian coast, the film claimed to be the most expensive production and marked the beginning of the Golden Age in the Nordic film history.