Original title was Det Sjunde Inseglet. A Knight and his squire are home from the crusades. Black Death is sweeping their country. As they approach home, Death appears to the knight and tells him it is his time. The knight challenges Death to a chess game for his life. The Knight and Death play as the cultural turmoil envelopes the people around them as they try, in different ways, to deal with the upheaval the plague has caused.
Near the beginning, one of a trio of traveling players wakes up,
emerges from their wagon, does a couple forward rolls, asks his horse
about breakfast, deplores society's lack of appreciation for the arts,
and does a right-handed, two ball shower. He later expresses to his
wife the hope that their son will be a great juggler, one who can do
the ultimate trick of stopping a ball in mid-air. "That's impossible,"
says wife Mary. "For us, but not for him," says Joseph. Some time
later Joseph again demonstrates his skill at showering two balls, while
Mary points out what a talented juggler he is.