A historical drama depicting the Finnish struggle against Tsarist Russia. Opens at the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg in February 1899. Tsar Nicholas II signs the February Manifesto, the purpose of which is to abolish Finnish self-government. An act that arouse widespread opposition in Finland.
The heavily indebted baron Henrik von Hagen, who loves women and partying, learns that his former lover, Russian ballerina Madame Vera Vasiljevna, will be visiting Finland. They are reunited and sparks fly. But Vasiljevna's new hobby casts a shadow over their romance.
