Composer and program director Harri forms a quartet, recruiting Apon, Teika, Kauko, and Olli as members. Based on an idea from Olli's beloved Raija, the ensemble is named the Kipparikvartetti.
Due to the post-war housing shortage, Pirkko, who has nowhere to sleep, is given accommodation at the full-service guesthouse run by landlady Töttermanska. There she meets the other residents: student Eskoo, foreman Heikki, antique dealer Theodor, and businessman Roope, whose acquaintance with the beautiful Dolly draws the whole group into criminal activities.
The year is 1895 in a small village in Savo, where new ideas such as women's rights and folk high schools are vehemently opposed by Pastor Jussilainen, both in his home and in the parish. His wife Eveliina, the maids, and the conservative parishioners all experience his vehemence. However, the pastor meets his match when his mother-in-law arrives for a visit.
