Sinikka, the young mistress of the Lenteelä house, gets into a relationship with her neighbor Antti while her husband Jukka is away at the front. The couple becomes the subject of gossip throughout the village, and Sinikka, feeling guilty, seeks reconciliation from her husband and the community. Her mother-in-law, who is hostile towards her daughter-in-law, also wants reconciliation.

Violinist Eero Viida's wife Ruth has left her husband but wants to return. Eero no longer loves his spouse and rejects her advances. Ruth shoots her husband, who ends up in the hospital. Eero becomes attached to Marja, a student of his accompanist Pallas, which drives the jealous Ruth to take extreme measures.