Olli, the spoiled young heir of the Koivumäki manor, is separated from his family and brought to Sweden by his cousin. After running away to Finland, he ends up in an educational institution, from where he escapes with the help of his friend Ränni Pelle and returns to his parents.
Baron von Sumers, owner of the Tottisalmen estate, sends his mischievous grandson Klaus to learn manners at the vicarage in the neighboring parish. Yrjö, the vicarage's farmhand, has an accident because of Klaus and ends up in Tottisalmen for medical treatment. When Yrjö's resemblance to the baron's missing son is noticed, events from the past begin to unfold.
Iris Klewe is brought from her forest cottage by her bank-manager uncle Kaarlo Heinonen to attend school in Helsinki, where his wife and elder children resent the poor foster girl while only the youngest child and the cook show her kindness. Kaarlo’s financial troubles start to threaten Iris’s inheritance.
