Mad Ship is the story of Tomas Sorensen, a Scandinavian immigrant to the Canadian prairies in the 1920s. He is a man of great passion and great integrity, who dreams of creating a family wheat dynasty in this new land of opportunity. He is also a man who is deeply in love with his beautiful wife, Solveig, and together they have a profound bond that sustains them. But prairie drought and the Great Depression conspire against them, and the family is brought to ruin when their crops are destroyed by a massive dust storm.
Facing foreclosure at the bank, Solveig suggests that they return to their homeland. But Tomas refuses to give up in Canada, too proud to return as a failure. He leaves Solveig and their two young children in search of work in a distant city, setting off a series of events that soon turn tragic.
Inspired by a true story.