Torpan tyttö II: Kuvauksia kansan elämästä

In the harvest‑laden countryside of late‑1880s Hämeenlinna, the quiet rhythm of village life is shattered by a series of sudden fires. When a stack of fire‑wood suddenly erupts at the Ruika homestead, suspicion quickly turns to Liisa, a young woman who has already drawn the attention of the local magistrate. Adding to the tension, a second blaze ignites an outbuilding at the same farm, and rumors point to Liisa’s mother as the possible arsonist, prompting the community to demand a formal inquiry.

The ensuing courtroom drama unfolds like a tightly wound knot of testimonies, accusations, and fleeting alibis. Neighbours recall heated words exchanged over potatoes and poverty, while the wind‑blown ash of the burned barn becomes a silent witness to motives that may be rooted in vengeance or desperation. Listeners are drawn into the stark moral landscape of a close‑knit peasant society, where the line between guilt and innocence is as fragile as the thin walls of the village cottages.