A young woman is forced into an arranged marriage by her family in hopes of securing their future, but her husband turns out to be an alcoholic brute of a man and she longs for the man she truly loves.
Esko makes a bet that he will marry the first young woman he encounters. This turns out to be Kirsti, who promptly turns down the proposals. But when she finds about the bet, she agrees to marry him in order to get her revenge.
Aarne marries Martta because his mother tells him it is his duty as the eldest son to marry a wealthy girl. However, the attractive school teacher Ilona arrives in the village and causes complications when Aarne falls in love with her.
