The tarragon regiment moving to the small town charms the women of the locality. Only trade counsellor Ottilia Mähönen considers them brutal barbarians and is horrified when her daughter Irja gives her room to cavalry master Osmo Kyrö who needs accommodation.

Taavetti, the young master of Rantasuo, refuses to give up, even though frost destroys his harvest, a crooked logger steals his forest money, and a dishonest bailiff takes away his freedom. The innocent Taavetti is sent to prison, and the indebted Rantasuo farm is put up for auction. The determined swamp clearer fights for his life, his loved ones, and his land.

The main characters are the artist Bertel von Bjelke and Hilkka Kanno the adopted daughter of the town councilor. Bertel is in love with Hilka, who, however, behaves badly with the artist. This does not prevent the artist from asking for the girl's hand from the town councilor Kanno, who accepts his friend's request. Kanto stresses, however, that the final decision is up to his daughter.

Niilo, a son of a rich estate owner, is in love with a poor crofter's adopted daughter Heleena. However, on his father's orders, Niilo instead becomes engaged to Loviisa, a daughter of a wealthy landowner. When Niilo wants to call off the engagement, his proud and rejected bride begins to interfere with the lovers' relationship with the help of Penttula, who is said to be able to perform miracles.

In northern Finland in the fall of 1916, Saima Niva rescues a man drifting in the river, who turns out to be a German lieutenant Braun. Braun and his six comrades have managed to escape the prisoner of war at the Muurmann railway station, but the lieutenant has had to get rid of the lost group. While Braun is recovering, under the good care of Saima, Niva's neighbor and henchman of the gendarmes, the greedy policeman Simpura, gets a tip about the refugees camped in the desert.

Eero Luotola is a pilot operating in Kalliosaari, whose crush is Annikki, who lives in the same village. They have known each other since childhood and have promised to get married at some point.

Young and innocent maid Elina is persuaded into forgetting her childhood sweetheart Uolevi, and to marry Klaus Kurki, a local nobleman with money and influence. An ideal match according to her family and the greedy parish priest, but all is not as it seems: Kurki is a vicious man, tormented by the spirit of his last wife.

Without knowing about each other, bachelors Salomon, Arvi, and Martti each hire a domestic helper for their shared apartment. The job goes to the energetic professional Manta and the modern young women Helvi and Aili, who are looking for a position to prove their point about the issue of domestic service.

Forester Antti Kare and manager John Freyberg travel north in search of millions worth of timber sales. The manager's giddy daughter Margit also secretly joins the journey.

A historical drama depicting the Finnish struggle against Tsarist Russia. Opens at the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg in February 1899. Tsar Nicholas II signs the February Manifesto, the purpose of which is to abolish Finnish self-government. An act that arouse widespread opposition in Finland.