Maria, who lives in Hermann, Helsinki, takes in a baby abandoned on the steps of a bar. Mean neighbors call the foundling, named Stiina, a municipal orphan, which makes the girl ashamed of her background. Malicious gossip, constant poverty, and misfortune strengthen her spirit. Stiina grows up to be a brave and fair woman.
Young Anna marries Tuomas, an old widower. Tuomas reluctantly sells his forest to the boss of Ruukki and is forced to take in a group of loggers, among whom the handsome womanizer Humu begins to seduce the young mistress of the house.
