Katri: Girl of the Meadows

The story begins as a woman named Sara looks upon her payload as she is taking a carriage ride across the Finnish countryside to where her six-year-old daughter Katri has been residing with her grandparents.

The ambiance is tense and awkward Katri awaits her grandfather's return with Aapeli and the calf Juura who seem to have sensed the presence of a deviant diagnostic as if by telepathy; while Katri prepares the sauna galvanized by the prospect of some new clothes, Katri's grandfather Julius struggles to make his way home to repair the damage caused by the bear.

An impromptu geography lesson about Finland swiftly yields to a church service that illuminates the scope of damage Katri's grandfather has taken at the hands of a bear prior Katri beginning her home commute when Martti intercepts her to signal an interest in a fishing trip to temper the news of no headway being made to learn of any job openings; unfortunately, Martti wanders into the wrath of his elder sister Mari whose deflection succeeds the ashes of the mission charged him.

A typical quiet evening becomes the backdrop for an ordinary home commute with Juura to become extraordinary when Martii accosts Katri with the preamble to a viable job opportunity on the Räikkölä-ke farm along with the necessary vector to be added to the payrolls; as an additional unexpected bonus, Katri's grandfather Julius is in the neighborhood entreating Governor Halme that he be bailed some wheat; while licking his wounds from having his exhortation refused, Julius is forced to rethink his perspective on Katri working now faced with the prospect of there being no food at all and reluctantly agrees to accompany his granddaughter to Halme-ke the next day where the cobbler explains them the parameters of Räikkölä-ke's herding job.

Upon the affirmative reply arriving in record-breaking time and a lunch pack galvanized with her grandparents' sage counsel for the road, zero hour for Katri's journey to Räikkölä-ke with Aapeli is finally at hand!!! A chance encounter with the cobbler becomes the forum for Katri to have delivered unto her a syllabus of what to expect from Räikkölä-ke prior to Martii catching up to Katri; upon having explained the cobbler's counsel, Martii feels a little guilty about how things have turned out as he endures the physiological wages of the subterfuge that he has had to avail.

The carriage ride with Pekka's derision as the salary quickly gives way to Katri finding nobody from Räikkölä-ke to greet her with instructions of what to do next; while shooing Aapeli outside, Katri runs into Anneli who finds it hilarious that the confused child mistakes her for the estate governess when she returns from furlough. Katri's confusion is only compounded when she finds the estate governess Ulla Räikkölä in the sauna making hotcakes apparently unable to focus on anything about her other than her fondness for Aapeli who has come upon a doghouse built near Katri's quarters perfect for housing the dachshund if Katri can get the estate governor Teemu Räikkölä to see things her way when he returns -- easier said than done when Teemu is in a bad mood and Aapeli is less than diplomatic with his volition for the doghouse!!! The ensuing caustic denigration of Aapeli is ultimately perverted to Teemu's detriment when Aapeli helps Katri to account for each and every cow during the cattle drive tomorrow; however, Teemu charging Katri flawless memorization of individual names and attributes proves far more daunting.