In the present, Victoria is applauded for dispatching a truck attempting to smuggle valuable medicine out of the country. A serious influenza pandemic is threatening Norway, making this a matter of the highest priority. Victoria is heralded as a national hero —even Devold offering some faint praise for her actions. She returns home to celebrate with her son, only to receive a message that Johannes has been kidnapped—with the perpetrators demanding the shipment of medicine as ransom.
