Set in the south of Iceland, around the time of the conversion to Christianity in the year 1000, this saga follows a fifty-year blood feud from its violent beginnings to its tragic end. The spare and simple narrative centres on Njal Thorgeirsson who, with his family, is burnt alive in his home by a band of enemies. The saga exposes the inadequacy of the law to resolve deep human conflicts and the cathartic power of vengeance.