Arctic begins in media res with protagonist Overgard (Mads Mikkelsen) already having been stranded in the Arctic Circle for an undisclosed amount of time. We never see how he got here, what his life was like before being stuck here, we only know him as a man trying to survive the unforgiving icy wilderness. One day, Overgard believes his nightmare is over as he spies a nearby helicopter and begins to signal to it for help. However, the helicopter crashes to the ground and leaves just one unnamed survivor (Maria Thelma Smaradottir). Overgard now has to take care of this survivor as he makes a perilous trek to a terrain that has a slim chance of bringing him closer to help. It's a chance he has no choice but to take.
