The film stars Regina Linnanheimo, Leif Wager, Elsa Rantalainen, Ester Toivonen and Eino Kaipainen.
The plot is about the love between Katariina, a farmhand's daughter, and Count Mauritz Armborg of Munkkiniemi.
The film's most famous scene features the "Romance", which Count Mauritz sings in a park by the pond to Katariina, with music by Nils-Eric Fougstedt and lyrics by Reino Hirviseppä.
The film was first aired on Finnish television on 1 October 1965, attracting approximately half a million viewers.
Elias Jahnukainen, a fisherman, is himself in love with Katariina and wants to marry her, but she has demurred at his marriage proposals to date.
Count Mauritz dreams of making a career as a violinist and wants to study music abroad.
Unhappy at being separated from Mauritz, she tries to commit suicide by jumping off a cliff, but Elias saves her.
Ingeborg travels to Copenhagen, meets Mauritz, and falsely tells him that Katariina will arrive in Rome in the company of Countess Yvonne.
Katariina writes a letter of intent to gain admission for her son into a good school, but her application fails, because Elias is of too low a social station.
Katariina finds him at the house of the governor's wife, Elisabeth Gerhard, whose own son has died.
When Countess Yvonne meets young Mauritz, she immediately feels great affection for him.