I sail out of the fjord, out towards the ocean, where there is air and I can breathe and I breathe. I breathe.

It has been four years since Veronica Skotnes left her life on the mainland to live in isolation on a sailboat and experience the unforgiving wrath of the wind and the waves. Now, she heads towards Finnmark, the northernmost county of Norway, to visit islands where strangers share her longing for the sea. As she sets sail, she prepares to face the dangers of an open ocean and empty ports, in exchange for the relief of nature and community.

North of the Winter Sun is an evocative portrayal of the hospitality found in isolated fishing villages, global warming’s impact on the ocean and its wildlife, and a young woman’s search for agency and freedom aboard an old, beloved boat.