뉴 멕시코의 작은 마을에서 잔혹한 범죄가 연속으로 일어난다. 곧이어 마을 사람들은 한 마리의 표범이 도망쳐 마을 공동묘지에 숨어있음을 알게 된다. 코넬 울리치의 단편 「블랙 알리바이」를 영화화한 작품. 화면에서 공포를 표현하기 위한 갖가지 시도와 탐구는 표현주의 영화를 연상케 할 정도로 다양하며, 히스패닉 문화를 지닌 뉴 멕시코 중류층의 풍속 탐구도 세심하다.
The tarragon regiment moving to the small town charms the women of the locality. Only trade counsellor Ottilia Mähönen considers them brutal barbarians and is horrified when her daughter Irja gives her room to cavalry master Osmo Kyrö who needs accommodation.
In 1916, Finland is still a part of Russian Empire. Eugen Schauman murders the governor of Finland, and his fellow activists take on smaller tasks in the fight for freedom.
A thriller set in turn-of-the-century Helsinki, Stolen Death uses elements of German expressionism to tell the story of Finnish resistance fighters smuggling arms to overthrow the Tsarist occupiers of Finland. Tapiovaara stresses the divided loyalties of the Finnish bourgeoisie, torn between preserving their privileged economic position and taking a risky stand for an independent Finland. Stolen Death can be viewed as a thinly disguised protest against the rise of the fascist movement in Finland in the 1930s. Tapiovaara's allegorical indictment of class inequality and the suppression of free speech and political expression, coupled with his death at 28 fighting the Russians in the Winter War of 1939-1940, earned him almost a mythic status in Finland.
Eastern Finland in 18th century. Farmer Juha has raised an orphan girl Marja and married her. Karelian trader Shemeikka visits the farm and starts to make advances to young and beautiful Marja, tempting her to run away with him.
Irmeli wants a certain job as a secretary but finds out that she would have to be married in order to get the vacancy. She lies that she has recently married and then gets a stranger from a nearby restaurant to pose as her husband. Complications arise when they have to continue their charade.
