Regi songs are the foundation of Estonian song lore. Their origins lie in an ancient Finno-Ugric view of the world and the songs are based on eight syllables. The insistent, monotonous singing is said to unfold a mysterious power. “You can't sing them the same way today as in the olden days,” says a young family man, and his wife adds, “If you sing the same old songs today, you give them new meaning with your own gathered life experience." Director Ulrike Koch's film centres on the combination of the old and the new, the simultaneity of shamanism and modernity: “In Estonia, song lore is not regarded as a harmless, outmoded relic from an age long past. It rather embodies great prosperity and a sense of impacting power.” Befittingly, Statements by a number of personalities including the composer Veljo Tormis and the writer Jaan Kaplinski on their relationship to the traditional song lore are embedded in images of Estonia's overwhelming landscapes.