Virtanen is a tango obsessive, with an encyclopaedic knowledge of the subject, which he insists on sharing with everybody he meets.

But this is difficult for someone with such a passion for tango: "My penis rises and interferes with the dance.

So, immediately after the dance, I hasten into the woods, break a handful of twigs off a birch tree, and punish my penis with many sharp little blows.

The chastisement makes it calm down, and I can then go and invite a new girl onto the floor.

"(page 8) Virtanen manages to avoid the blandishments of the various women he meets in the Helsinki hot spots, but when he falls in love with Anja his troubles really start.