After the middle-class White Guard emerges victorious against the socialist Red Guard in Finland’s civil war, captain Carl von Munck is sent to the border between Finland and Bolshevik Russia. The joint effort to stem the flow of Finns, Swedes, Jews, and Russians means he must work closely with the Soviet border commander, major Gentsch, a former landowner whose estate has been expropriated. The latter, however, ruthlessly exploits the desperate situation of the refugees, enriching himself shamelessly. When Finnish nationalists demand that von Munck liquidate members of foreign ethnic groups, the border situations spins completely out of control. In this polyglot historical study, the fate of the refugees, and national and personal interests all bump up unwittingly against each other – the parallels to the present day are obvious.