In Northern Iceland in 1829, Agnes Magnúsdóttir is sentenced to death for the brutal murder of two men. She is forced to spend the time until her execution at the farm of Jón Jónsson with his family, his wife, and their two daughters. The family, terrified of having to live with a convicted murderer, avoids speaking to her.

Only Tóti, who has been appointed as her spiritual advisor, has contact with her, trying to save her soul. As time passes and winter arrives, the farm work brings them all closer together. Agnes's story unfolds while the question of her actual guilt or innocence emerges.

Based on a true story, "Burial Rites" is a deeply moving novel about personal freedom: how we see ourselves, how others see us, and how far one will go for love.