Sofia has run off to Spain with Leon, leaving her husband Simen back home in Norway. Simen is used to this kind of behavior. But then Leon goes to North Africa, where he plans to commit suicide in the desert, and Simen begs Sofia to return home. In this finely observed psychological novel, the characters are all running away - from themselves, from the others, and from life in general. According to Sofia deals with two themes common to many great novels, a fearful sense of existential isolation, and a corresponding need to reach out and make contact with others.