In a barren land ruled by oppression and ignorance, a spirited woman driven by hope of a better life must fight against the odds. Agnes is a servant in the house of the county sheriff. There she is constantly sexually harassed by him and treated with contempt by his wife. Agnes falls in love with Natan, a self taught homoeopathic doctor. The sheriff takes revenge on Natan by making it illegal for him to practice his profession. The dramatic relationship between the three main characters ultimately leads to a fatal web of events where a love affair turns into a nightmare of brutality and destruction.

Agnes er ung vinnukona í vist á setri sýslumanns. Hún býr yfir frjálslegu fasi og fegurð sem vekur bæði fýsn og fordóma yfirboðara hennar. Hún fellur fyrir Natani Ketilssyni sem er djarftækur kvennamaður og sjálfmenntaður lyflæknir. Dramatísk samskipti aðalpersónanna þriggja, Agnesar, Natans og sýslumanns, hrinda af stað örlagaþrunginni atburðarás, þar sem ástarsamband breytist í martröð ofbeldis og tortímingar.