1783. Poverty-stricken Iceland lives beneath Denmark's yoke. Young Grimr, his family's only survivor, is forced to flee slavers. With no bloodline to speak of, he must be twice as brave as any other boy to prove his worth. After falling in with a wanderer, he encounters every shibboleth of Icelandic society: genealogical prestige, the worship of the law, and superstition. The road to becoming a legend is a long one…