The chronological scope of the novel is from 1913 to 1928. The story is entirely devoted to the life of one family on the island of Barrøy in Northern Norway. The island is small, only one family lives on it: the spouses Hans and Maria, Hans's father Martin, Hans's sister Barbru, who is mentally not quite normal, and Hans and Maria's little daughter named Ingrid. At the beginning of the story, the girl is about three years old. The war begins, and five Swedes appear on Barrøy. One of them, Lars Klemet, suits Barbro's taste. Soon she gives birth to a son, who is named Lars. Ingrid goes to school on the mainland, returning home for the weekend. Maria places her as a nanny in the family of a wealthy merchant. Ingrid likes her new life, but some time passes and the parents of the children Ingrid is looking after suddenly disappear. Later it turns out that the father of the family committed suicide, and the mother was sent to a mental asylum in Bodø. Ingrid returns to the island, taking her owner's children with her. Hans suddenly dies and Maria falls into depression. Teenager Lars becomes the head of the family. Ingrid feels like the mistress of the house. Together with Lars, they establish a trade in fish and eider down. Roy Jacobsen (b. 1954) is considered one of the most significant authors in modern Norway. He became the first Norwegian writer to be shortlisted for the Man Booker International Prize and the IMPAC International Dublin Literary Prize for his novel The Invisibles, which became a bestseller in almost all 30 countries where it was published.