Nói Kristmundsson, a 17-year-old inhabitant of a small, unnamed fishing village in western Iceland, lives with his grandmother, Lína, while his father, Kiddi, an alcoholic taxi driver, resides in town as well. Their relationship is strained, and Nói, who suffers from alopecia totalis, stands out sharply among his peers due to his unique appearance. He often spends his days aimlessly wandering the bleak landscape, frequenting the local bookstore, or hiding in a cellar in his grandmother's house, which he calls his private sanctuary. Life in this isolated village, accessible only by boat during the harsh winter months when roads are buried under snow, feels like a kind of purgatory for Nói. Although he exhibits signs of high intelligence, he is uninterested in school and frequently finds himself at odds with the faculty, especially his math teacher. Choosing rebellion, he often skips class to visit the local gas station, where he cleverly rigs the slot machine to ensure a win, highlighting his feeling of alienation in a town with scant opportunities.
Nói's life takes an unexpected turn with the arrival of a new gas station attendant, Íris, a captivating young woman eager to escape her previous life in the city. Inquiring about her to Óskar, the bookstore owner, he learns that she is Óskar's daughter and is warned to steer clear of her. Undeterred, Nói finds himself falling for Íris, and the two embark on a tentative romance. One fateful night, they sneak into the local natural history museum, where an entertaining close escape from a nightwatchman leads them to a fascinating light-up map of the world. "Iceland looks like a spitwad on the map," he remarks. Inspired by Íris's suggestion to run away together, dreams of leaving for distant shores start to blossom in Nói's mind, especially as she points out the Hawaiian Islands on the map.
As he approaches his 18th birthday, he receives a View-Master from his grandmother, featuring slides of paradise scenes, particularly captivating him with an image of a tropical beach—an idyllic contrast to his stark surroundings. However, the idyllic dreams of escape turn darker when Nói is summoned by the school principal for a meeting with a specialist. The awkwardly intrusive questions from the specialist, such as "How many times a day do you masturbate?" only lead to a quick-witted Nói turning the tables, leaving the specialist embarrassed. The situation worsens when Nói's unorthodox ways culminate in expulsion from school after pulling a prank that enrages his teacher. This conflict further alienates him from his father, leading to a small confrontation that ends with a trip to a local bar, where underage drinking ultimately results in him being thrown out.
Despite the tension, Nói continues to pursue Íris. When he climbs onto Óskar's roof trying to find her, he faces rejection when Óskar reveals she has been sent away. In a desperate attempt to find direction in his life, Nói's grandmother turns to a local fortune teller, Gylfi, who delivers ominous news about Nói's future, filling him with disbelief and anger. Eventually quitting his job as a grave digger, he foolishly attempts a bank robbery but finds himself humiliated when the bank manager intervenes, leading him to withdraw his meager savings to buy a suit instead.
With his dreams of running away with Íris shattered, Nói steals a car in a last-ditch effort to escape, but his plan goes awry. Stuck in the snow, he is caught by the police and bailed out by his father, who brings up Íris in a way that makes Nói cringe. Back home, he retreats to his cellar sanctuary, but disaster strikes when an avalanche hits, burying his home and tragically claiming the lives of his grandmother and father. As rescue efforts begin, he learns through news reports that nearly everyone he knew is gone, including Íris and Gylfi. In a moment of reflection at the ruins of his grandmother's house, he clings to the View-Master, now a haunting reminder of his lost dreams, as he faces the painful reality of his surroundings transforming into an image of that tropical beach he once longed for.
