Based on true events, the pic tells the story of Agnes Magnusdottir (Lawrence), the last woman to be publicly executed in Iceland in 1830, after being sentenced to death for killing two men and setting fire to their home.

The plot takes place during the last winter of Agnes' life while she awaits confirmation of her death sentence by the high court in Denmark. As she waits to die, she starts to live, reluctantly forging emotional and romantic attachments.