A boat trip in the Helsinki archipelago: images of water, light and people on the cruise. The same people are met in the city in different situations: at work, with their family, in conversations with a circle of friends, meditating and figuring out their duties. Work and aspirations are important and encouraging to them. They all seem to have something personal to say about their time, their views and their imaginations.

Laila is an innocent Lappish girl and the only daughter of a reindeer herder. During World War II, Laila rescues a crashed German fighter pilot, Hans, and the two develop warm feelings for each other during his convalescence. Years later, after the war, Hans returns to Lapland as a freelance photographer and manages to lure Laila to run away with him to the capital, Helsinki, to start a career as a photo model, much to the chagrin of her traditional father, Aslak. After initial happiness, however, Hans abandons Laila, and the decadent lifestyle of a big city sends her life into a downward spiral.