For a three-act plot analysis, put on your screenwriter’s hat. Moviemakers know the formula well: at the end of Act One, the main character is drawn in completely to a conflict. During Act Two, she is farthest away from her goals. At the end of Act Three, the story is resolved.
Act I
Per Hansa, along with his family and friends, rolls into the American prairies looking to build a new settlement in the late 1800s. Everything looks pretty good at first, but then some Irish folks show up looking for land and Per Hansa and his buddies need to fight them off. And the troubles don't end there.
Hansa's wife Beret nearly dies giving birth to their fourth child. But once he realizes everything will turn out fine, Hansa decides to name his new son Peter Victorious. His wife and neighbors are convinced that Hansa is tempting fate by giving his son such a cocky name, but Hansa won't let up. He's convinced that he's destined for greatness and that nothing can stop him. And in traditional literature, you know what that means…
Act II
In case things seemed a little too cheery, Per Hansa and his crew quickly find out that the Dakota winters are long and brutal. They barely make it through their first one without freezing or starving to death. And even when the summer arrives, the Norwegians need to deal with a plague of locusts that's so thick you can't even see the sun.
All the while, Hansa's wife Beret can't help but wonder why they ever left beautiful, comfortable Norway for such a horrible place. The locust plague is the last straw for her. Her mind snaps and she becomes convinced that she and her friends are defying God by trying to settle the American prairies.
Act III
Against all odds, Hansa and the Norwegians are able to stick it out in their new settlement for seven years. But the seventh winter is a real doozie. For five months, snow never stops falling. It gets so bad that the roof of Hans Olsa's barn caves in and Olsa develops a killer case of pneumonia while trying to fix it.
The weather is too harsh for a trip to fetch the doctor, but Per Hansa's wife Beret insists that someone go out and get the minister before Hans Olsa dies and goes to hell. Remember now that Beret is convinced she and all her friends are doomed for their sins. Eventually, Per Hansa throws his hands up and leaves. But he never makes it back. He freezes to death in the blizzard while searching for the minister's house.