Lähtevien laivojen kaupunki

In the opening tale, a weary Baltic officer recounts the harsh aftermath of a failed uprising in a remote Estonian village. The focus falls on Bernhard Riives, a stoic farmer whose quiet dignity and sense of duty have drawn the ire of local authorities. As a makeshift tribunal weighs his fate, the narrative probes the thin line between justice and vengeance, painting a vivid picture of a community scarred by bloodshed and lingering resentment.

Beyond this gripping courtroom drama, the collection unfolds a mosaic of lives anchored to a sea‑ridden town where ships constantly set sail and return. Short, lyrical sketches explore love, loss, faith, and the relentless pull of the horizon, all rendered in Aino Kallas’s keen, empathetic prose. Listeners will be drawn into a world where ordinary people confront extraordinary turmoil, their stories echoing the timeless struggle between personal conscience and the demands of a turbulent world.