Having lived for his pleasure most of his life, floor polisher Ivan Karetnikov, on the threshold of his 60th birthday, did not for the first time leave his next wife himself, but she abandoned him, moreover, in public. In addition to these troubles, he was fired from his job, replaced by a mechanical polisher. In this difficult moment, Karetnikov remembered the first wife, and then the second and third. But turning to each of them, he seems to begin to lose hope of seeing compassion for himself.

The capital of Estonia is occupied by Germans. Three local boys plan to blow up the cinema where the German soldiers often spend time at. However, their plans will change when they accidentally meet a mysterious stranger. A complicated and dangerous game begins where the rules are not set by the schoolkids.

Students Jaan and Heiki in 1972, inexplicably, cross the river of time and arrive in 1944, the year of the German occupation of Estonia. The film depicts the painful and conflicting contact between the two ages and mentality.

Joonas and Tiidrik are two men from the island of Saaremaa who recklessly escape from the German prison during the First World War. Yet, there are no peaceful times in their home country neither.

The coastal people of Kaugatoma set out to build their own ship to earn a living independent of the baron's will. The baron does everything to prevent the venture, but still "Kaugatoma" raises its white sails. Unfortunately, the power of money turns out to be decisive both in the organization of joint activities and in the relations of the strong-natured captain Tõnis Tihu with the community and his loved ones. He abandons Liisu, with whom he has a son, and marries a wealthy widow. As a captain, he has the power to look after the welfare of the sailors, but he thinks more about his own safety. However, the winds of 1905 are already blowing over the sea.

There are three children growing at Tammaru farm - one boy, Margus; and two orphan girls, Mari and Tiina. Tiina is lively and full of energy. Margus holds her very dear to him. Margus's parents want him to marry Mari instead as she is more their kind. Hotblooded Tiina is completely different from them and her mother was once executed for being a witch. Mari thinks that Tiina has bewitched Margus and cannot stand this, so she starts to publicly blame her stepsister for being a werewolf.

Mari has successfully led a collective farm in 1950s and fulfilled all tasks given from the authorities. Nonetheless, things in the collective farm become progressively worse. The Committee of the Communist Party sends its representative Peeter who learns that Mari acts as a tyrant for the local people. She has to resign during the elections of the new manager. Being without authority has a damaging effect on her so she starts to regain her position with the help of her old stalinist tricks.

After a stormy night on the sea, a group of Estonian fishermen end up in a small coastal Finnish town. As they await the Soviet authorities to take them back home, some of the fishermen contemplate leaving their former lives in a Soviet era Estonia behind.