A slave on the farm of Ketil, Denmark, Thorfinn no longer has much in common with the mercenary who roamed the battlefields hoping to avenge his father by killing the cynical Askeladd. Through contact with the inhabitants of the farm, whether free or slave, Thorfinn discovers a new life far from the battlefields, made of hard work, sweat and earth. Still haunted by his past crimes, he vows to renounce violence. But when a runaway slave arrives in Ketil's domain with the Serpent and his men in pursuit, he will have to decide if there aren't certain situations that merit men of honor to fight.