When the story begins, Thorgal Aegirson is already in a very bad position: He is chained to a rock and is condemned to die, drowned by the rising tide. His crime is to have dared to love Aaricia, the daughter of the king of the North Vikings, he, the bastard born of one knows who and one does not know where. He owes his salvation to a magician who saves him in exchange for his obedience for a year.