The Merry Farmer is based on the 1907 operetta of the same name.

Eight years ago director Daan Jongbloed stumbled upon an abandoned farm, which surprisingly was inhabited by 97-year-old farmer Peer. The peacefulness and sobriety in which Peer lives fascinated Daan tremendously. His view of Peer’s rural lifestyle is rather idyllic, but to Peer this is reality. Why does he live the way he does? Who is Peer and what’s troubling him? In an attempt to understand Peer and his perception of life Daan has followed him on and off for the past eight years. Peer cautiously reveals a glimpse of his lonely life and disturbing past.

Baskoro tries to continue his life as an organic farmer, a legacy that is inherited by his grandfather. All the memories and knowledge of organic farming left by his grandfather, he made as a force to survive in the regeneration of organic farmers.

Stevan, a son of a local criminal, lives a peaceful life running a homestead. When his father is killed by the members of his gang, Stevan seeks revenge.

Filmed against the background of the mountainous north of Iceland with its magnificent scenery, this film shows the life of a lone farmer in an isolated fjord, whose inhabitants have slowly deserted it for the relative ease and comfort of the city life. This farmer, however, is too attached to his land and persist in remaining there, despite the difficulties he has to confront. Through his eyes and those of his peers, the trend of Icelandic society away from traditional agriculture towards industrialisation is viewed with sympathetic regret.