Verging on death, a starving, destitute writer navigates the cold and indifferent city of Kristiania in search of his next meal. Frenzied and fevered, he chews on stale bread, devours scraps of wood and bites his own finger, sleeping under the stars in old, pungent blankets, until one day he is able to sell an article and buy some food – only for the cycle then to repeat itself.