: As the game progresses across several days, Block and his cynical squire, Jöns, travel through a landscape filled with religious fanaticism, suffering, and despair.
The narrative follows (Max von Sydow), a disillusioned knight returning from the Crusades to find his homeland ravaged by the plague.
: Upon his return, Block is met by the personification of Death (Bengt Ekerot). In a bid to forestall his fate and find a final meaningful act or answer about God's existence, the knight challenges Death to a game of chess.