Russia, 1822. Katya knows how to read the ice. Its colors, its sounds tell her how strong or how fragile it is. A special gift, just as her brother Grischa has a sense for the wind and the rain.

Born and raised in poverty, both dream of a better life, and finally they leave the family´s tiny farmstead in order to make their fortune in the world.

Their journey takes them over the Northern Seas to Hamburg. With Thilo and Christian, the ambitious sons of a local grocer, they establish a trading company. Their bold plan: to ship ice from the north into the tropics.

But the path to success is paved with failure and doubt, and in addition, the emotions between Katya and married Christian threaten to bring about the downfall of the young ice barons - just like the love between Thilo, rational and reliable, and unsteady Grischa …