After many weeks of returning home without a single catch, the old fisherman Santiago is forced to live on the contributions of his neighbors. Against the will of his daughter Angela, he decides to sail far out to sea once again in order to be able to continue his old successes as a fisherman with a big catch and his head held high. Santiago goes on his usual fishing trip and makes a huge catch, the biggest of his life. Then a shark attacks and tries to steal its catch. For Santiago, a dramatic battle with the shark and himself begins. He struggles for his dwindling vital forces, the prospect of respect - in short: for the will to live and the task. For two days and nights he learns the lesson of his life ... He returns to shore beaten, tattered, and torn, and his catch is now mostly bones.