Jonas Wergeland has been convicted of the murder of his wife, Margrete. What brought Norway's darling to this end? A professor has been set the task of charting a biography of the once celebrated, now notorious, television personality. But the sheer volume of material on his subject is so daunting that the professor finds himself completely at a loss as to how to proceed - until the evening when a mysterious stranger knocks on his door and offers to tell him stories that will help him unravel the strands of Wergeland's life.