[2] The film describes the last journey of Willem Barentsz and Jacob van Heemskerk through 1596–1597 when they and their crew tried to discover the Northeast Passage to the Indies.

However, due to the sea ice, they are stranded on the island of Novaya Zemlya and have to spend the winter there in Het Behouden Huys (The Safe Home).

The story is told through the eyes of Gerrit de Veer, and is loosely based on a diary he published in 1598 after his safe return.

The Novaya Zemlya effect, first described by De Veer, is shown in the film, albeit in a non-historical fashion.

According to Variety, the screenplay was "too light on historical background and character development," while the movie was "coming off as a technically competent but narratively uninvolving History Channel-like reenactment."