First published in 1946 this humane epic novel is set in rural Iceland in the early twentieth century. Bjartus is a sheep farmer determined to eke a living from a blighted patch of l&. Nothing not merciless weather nor his family will come between him & his goal of financial independence. Only Asta Solillja the child he brings up as his daughter can pierce his stubborn heart. As she grows up keen to make her own way in the world Bjartus' obstinacy threatens to estrange them forever.