When a journalist from Riga arrives in a rural forest district to investigate a letter from former forester Čukurs warning about the destruction of local woodlands, forest ranger Liepsargs offers him a place to stay. As they look into the situation, Liepsargs finds himself battling both illegal logging and poaching, determined to protect the forest from those exploiting it.

The Second World War has just ended, but national partisans are still hiding in Latvia's forests and fighting against the Soviet regime. Ansis Leinasars, who has been tasked to spark a coup in Latvia, arrives by night from across the sea, but his work is hampered at every step. His last hope is a meeting with the partisans in a church...