This biographical film celebrates the little-known life of the Finnish novelist and revolutionary Maiju Lassila (Asko Sarkola), born in 1868. Lassila's early years are briefly shown, then the film richly details his active and paradoxically reclusive adult life, beginning with his sojourn in St. Petersburg, working as a businessman. Unable to stay away from politics, he caused the assassination of a high-ranking Czarist and as a result, had to run back to Finland to hide. Once established in the comparative safety of a small village, he taught school in order to support his real vocation as a writer. Always living on the edge of poverty, if not square in the middle of it, Lassila continues to avoid public contact - he keeps his identity low-key and camoflages it by publishing under a variety of pseudonyms.
Asko Sarkola
as Writer Algot Lassila, aka Maiju Lassila, aka Irmari Rantamala
Rea Mauranen
as Olga Esempio
Kari Franck
as Gunnar Avanto
Ari Suonsuu
as Kalle
Ritva Juhanto
as Kurttuska
Esko Salminen
as Arwid
Heikki Alho
as Pikku-Pouvali
Tuomo Railo
as Sulo Esempio
Юрий Родионов
as Rawitz
Galina Galtseva
as Magda
Soli Labbart
as Maria Lassila
Pirkka Karskela
as Young Algot
