Passion and politics unfold against the darkness of winter in 1970s Sweden. In an isolated northern town, Siv, a married mother of three falls in love with a young communist, Ulrik. Though their affair takes place in the shadowy winter, Siv's children witness her affair without comprehending its reality. Anneli Furmark's delicate hues of blue and orange heighten the sublime qualities of the cinematic subarctic landscape and provide the nuanced backdrop in which Siv and Ulrik drift through the season, musing on their love, boasting of their ideals, dreaming of a new beginning, all the while oblivious to their actions and the inevitable consequences.