When the humiliation and grief of his eldest son's shooting rampage and subsequent suicide threatens to pull him under, Rasmus leaves his family and tight-knit community and heads into Greenland's bleak landscape. As he journeys forth aimlessly on an old dogsled, he eventually finds solace in the form of a mystical hermit.

Elias is at a toy fair in Paris. His wife Ingrid and his entire family are waiting for him to come home. They have organized a surprise party for his 60th birthday. Unaware of their plans, Elias decides to stay in Paris and celebrate his birthday on his own. This decision triggers an avalanche of events that brings family conflicts out into the open, but is also a cause of reconciliation.