Eliisa Raaska, who lives in the Soviet Union, wants to move to Finland to be with her beloved Mikko Vanhalan, but she does not want to leave her elderly and sick father in Ingria.
Yrjö Niemelä leaves the countryside for Helsinki. Unemployed, homeless, and penniless, the young man attempts suicide in despair, but a Salvation Army soldier comes to his rescue at the last moment. His luck changes when Yrjö gets a job in a warehouse and, as a fast runner, becomes a sports coach. His childhood sweetheart Elsa encourages him to succeed.
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.
