Based on a real story cold temperatures, 1915. On the island Bastøy, a group of young boys aged 11 to 18, outside Oslo, are kept at an institution for delinquent youth. A new boy, Erling, arrives, determined to flee from the staircase one day. After a tragic episode, he eventually ends up leading the boys at a violent uprising. 150 soldiers are sent in to restore order , when the boys figure out how to take control the island.