King of Devil's Island

At the Bastøy prison for youths, the newest arrival, Erling "C19," soon becomes friends with Olav ("C1"). Under the rule of Håkon, Erling comes to terms with the harsh winter, the mistreatment by the staff, and the hated Housefather Bråthen. Later, Olav sees Bråthen molesting "C5", Ivar, a timid, shy boy in the laundry room. When he raises this with the Governor, the boys are severely punished and C5 is reassigned to duties far away from Bråthen. However, after hearing that Bråthen expects him to be back in the laundry room tomorrow Ivar drowns himself in the freezing Norwegian waters, while the rest of the boys are chopping wood. Bråthen is apparently fired, to the overwhelming delight of the other boys. Olav is paroled and is planning to leave, but on the way to the departing boat, walks past Bråthen, who had been sent away on a shopping trip until Olav, the only witness to Ivar's rape, had left Bastøy. Olav and Erling attack Bråthen and as punishment they are locked in the freezing solitary confinement. They are freed by Bjern, one of the few Bastøy boys who has remained on the island as a caretaker. Olav again pursues Bråthen, and the attack inspires a mass uprising. The boys ransack the prison, and drive away the staff. Bråthen is repeatedly hanged and released and then beaten. The barn he is in is set ablaze, but Erling drags him to safety. The navy is brought in and violently puts down the uprising. Olav and Erling manage to escape across a frozen fjord back to the mainland, but Erling falls through a gap in the ice close to shore and quickly freezes to death.