The film tells the story of two very popular Finnish singer/songwriters: Tapio Rautavaara (Tapio Liinoja) and Repe Helismaa (Martti Suosalo), who worked together until their relationship got frictious for a long time. The film covers the years from 1949 to 1965 (Helismaa's death). Since the film is based on real-life persons it also tells much about the change in Finland during those years and of course much about Finnish popular music.
The boisterous good humor of Jurmala (Mikk Mikiver), the nickel-mine owner, is, if anything, only barely dented by the raging battles in Finland before, during and after World War Two. In fact, everywhere he goes, he meets prospective customers on all sides of the conflict with his all-inclusive greeting "Friends, Comrades." Indeed, the resource he is wrenching from the earth's bowels is necessary to all forms of industrial activity, and is especially necessary for military applications. Thus, he has no reason to fear that he will ever run out of customers. This doesn't prevent him from using every possible means to entice them. At home, his relationship with his wife is not so prosperous, and they resort to some extraordinary means to try and keep on an even keel.
