Viking chief Thorvald dies from a mortal combat wound. He realizes his son Erloff is not a worthy successor, but his will divides his property equally between him and Erik, the valiant son of his sister, who also gets his weapons and the mission to lead a sea-faring expedition to find new land for a settlement, crucial as their Scandinavian home village won`t be able to resist the might of the Danish kingdom. Supporters of Erloff mount an attempt at Erik`s life, which fails; the perpetrator is killed before he can betray them, so Sven and another can join Erik`s expedition, intending to kill him. After a long, perilous sea-voyage, they reach Vinland, a then subtropical part of North America, and after Erik valiantly saves chief`s daughter Wa-ta-wa from a brown bear make friends with the brave but pacific Indians, Erik`s Greek friend Angheropoulos even teaches them how to use the grapes for wine-making.