During the Cold War, Arne Treholt leads Norway's Ninja Force, a covert unit based out of Gressholmen that answers directly to King Olav V. The squad includes Treholt's deputy Øystein Fjellberg, the platoon assistant and documentarian Tromsø, the sharpshooter known as Han som sover, the driver Kusken, and Ragnhild Umbraco, who runs HM Tool Factory. Two apprentices complete the group, though their exact roles aren’t named here as fully as the others. The force operates with a clear sense of purpose, training for precision and secrecy as they navigate a fragile balance of power.
A high-stakes crisis soon tests them. After a Russian submarine runs aground in Sweden, the Ninja Force is dispatched to scour several fjords for possible submarine activity. Although no vessels are found, anti-submarine rockets are mistakenly fired in the area the unit is investigating. Treholt confronts the head of Norway’s Stay Behind operation, Otto Meyer, for firing the rockets and, in the course of the confrontation, seizes a copy of Stay Behind’s field manual. As King Olav visits, he voices frustration over Stay Behind’s repeated interference with his Ninja Force and the influence of the Stay Behind field manual, which hints at false-flag operations. In response, he orders Treholt to launch a new initiative, codename Operation Saga Night. Treholt confides in Bumblebee that he sees himself eventually stepping into a leadership role, planting a seed of ambition that subtly governs his choices.
The question of who earns a full ninja designation becomes a dramatic contest. In an orienteering race between Black Pete and Bumblebee to determine who advances, Treholt’s expectations collide with sabotage as Pete attacks Bumblebee. Treholt makes a decisive call, removing Pete from the Ninja Force and ensuring Bumblebee’s win by default. After the induction, Treholt and Olav share words of wisdom with Bumblebee, even as the other ninjas tease Bumblebee’s vegetarianism, underscoring a culture of rivalry and camaraderie within the group. The mood shifts to larger questions about loyalty, identity, and the costs of secrecy.
A bombing at Oslo Central Station—the CIA blames the Russians—shifts Treholt into a new phase of investigation. He travels to Vienna to verify evidence of Stay Behind’s involvement by meeting with KGB members, a dangerous move that risks exposing him as a traitor. On the return, the confrontation with Meyer intensifies; Meyer tries to retaliate by exposing Treholt’s actions, going so far as to threaten Treholt with exposure. Treholt leaves the moment with a latent tension hanging in the air, while Bumblebee reveals a more personal layer of his past: he had served time in jail as a conscientious objector before Treholt recruited him, a revelation that deepens his connection to the mission and to Treholt’s vision.
Stay Behind now targets the Alexander Kielland oil rig, and the Ninja Force—Treholt, Bumblebee, Tromsø, and Coachman—race to halt the threat. They manage to locate the bomb and confront a saboteur, but the rig is nonetheless destroyed. The Ninja Force returns to Gressholmen to confront the escalating assault from Stay Behind, which now attacks with a devastating combination of aerial bombardment and ground forces. Black Pete secretly aids in bypassing the island’s defenses, and the Ninjas retreat with Treholt dragging an injured Bumblebee in a skycar. In a bold move, Treholt disguises Bumblebee as himself and has him arrested in Treholt’s stead, buying time and regrouping the team for the next phase of their plan.
The Ninjas retreat to Ragnhild’s workshop in the Lofoten mountains, where Black Pete rejoins after secretly obtaining Stay Behind’s operational plans. The ruse gives them an edge as they infiltrate the royal palace, neutralize a Stay Behind death squad posing as the King’s bodyguards, and redirect a Piper Pawnee flight away from Oslo City Hall. Police are dispatched to Meyer’s home to seize the weapons stash, while Treholt’s allies turn their attention to eliminating other Stay Behind leaders, using a strategic mix of force and deception. In a dramatic confrontation high above the city, Meyer attempts to plant a bomb on Oslo City Hall but is confronted by Treholt. Treholt retrieves a shuriken—hidden around Meyer’s neck and concealing a listening device—and, in a final act, knocks Meyer from the building.
In the climactic sentencing, Bumblebee, still disguised as Treholt, reflects on Treholt’s plans for freedom and the path he has walked, ultimately reaching a moment of enlightenment. The Ninja Force and King Olav celebrate a hard-won victory in Operation Saga Night with a feast, posing for a victorious photograph beneath banners that proclaim “Mission Accomplished,” a visual reminder of their perilous triumphs and the fragile peace they fought to secure. The story remains a layered portrait of loyalty, power, and the human cost of covert operations, all told in a restrained but gripping tone that keeps faith with the events and characters that drive it.
