On April 9, 1940, German forces invade Norway; a bank in Oslo holds 49 tons of gold that Nazi Germany wants to finance the war; in a secret operation, the gold is transported north out of Oslo by truck.

The gold is temporarily held in a bank vault in Lillehammer; the Germans are closing in and everyone is ready to move the gold again; the only problem is that the bank manager has forgotten the code to the vault.

While German bombers level Åndalsnes and Molde, Haslund manages to get 33 tons of gold safely aboard two different British cruisers.