The American Runestone plot
In 1898, a Swedish immigrant, Olof Öhman, discovered the Kensington Runestone, a stone with runic inscriptions, in the roots of a tree in Minnesota. The inscriptions claim that a group of Scandinavian explorers penetrated deep into North America in 1362, well before Columbus. The stone's authenticity has been disputed for over a century by academics, who often label it a forgery. Peter Stormare and Elroy Balgaard travel throughout Minnesota, meeting with diverse experts, from scientists and skeptics to archaeologists and thrill-seekers. They conduct investigations, including archaeological excavations and laboratory analyses of samples from the stone, searching for evidence that could rewrite North American history.