This is the first biography of one of Norway's foremost post-war politicians – a story of social democracy's golden age, nascent decline, and internal tensions.

Odvar Nordli was not a man of grand political visions and dogmas. He was the workhorse who, driven by a well-considered social democratic conviction, aimed to achieve concrete results for the general public, especially the weakest in society, whether in the Stange municipal council, or in the Parliament and government. Odvar Nordli's national political career took place during a period when the Labour Party's position as the dominant political force began to weaken.

At the same time, his tenure as a politician was characterized by significant internal tensions and power struggles within the Labour Party. The shared leadership with Reiulf Steen as party leader became increasingly dysfunctional as contentious issues began to mount in the latter part of Nordli's role as prime minister, culminating in the fall of both Nordli and Steen in 1981.