For years and years everybody has been waiting for Knut to come home from America, and after 40 years he finally comes – by boat. His return makes a huge impression on the coastal village, where the dream of America and true love on the other side of the ocean has left its mark on the boy in the book, who has been waiting for Knut in a different way than the others. He is the only one who connects with the old man, while at the same time making the painful discovery that life can be wasted.