The year is 1634, two years after the king of Sweden Gustav II Adolf fell on the battlefield of Lützen. Captain of Kaarnoja, also known as the "man of a hundred swords", "poor man beyond the seas" or "take-life-Olavi", rides with his companion Hannu Eerikinpoika to the manor house of Koskela. At the manor they meet Krister Kristerinpoika, and the captain ends up dueling with him in the maiden chamber of Krister's cousin, the beautiful Elisabeth Gyllenskiöld. Elisabeth doesn't like her cousin and reveals to the captain that Krister is secretly plotting against him. The captain is delivering a letter to one Ståhlhandske. He leaves the letter with Elisabeth before leaving Koskela. The secret plan of Krister is to ambush the captain and his companion near the abandoned Lehikko croft on their way to Turku. The duo approach the croft prepared, but when they arrive they meet only two goodhearted mercenaries with thick Karelia accent Koms and Taavetti, the comic characters of the movie.