The story, centring on the life of Estonian composer Raimond Valgre, begins prior to the Second World War. A young and promising pianist, a composer of beautiful romantic songs, falls in love with the blonde-haired daughter of the Swedish consul. The beautiful Alice returns his affection, though to her family this Estonian bohemian is nothing more than an unacceptable upstart. When the Russian army invades Estonia, Alice returns home and Raimond enlists in the army. Like other Estonian soldiers, he ends up in a Soviet gulag but he never stops composing. He manages to awaken love for women, but his life eventually falls apart because he can’t resist alcohol. He returns to Tallinn after the war, but even his mother’s overpowering loving care can’t save him. The 36-year-old creator, who could no longer bear the burden of the times, died on New Year’s Eve 1949. A prohibited artist, only a few people show up to his funeral, but Valgre’s music lives on and he has become a permanent part of Estonia.