Through the lives of ordinary people, it describes the clash of ideals in Finland's language strife and the struggle between the Whites (nationalists) and the Reds (bolsheviks) in the movement to Independence and Civil War.

The novel shares one main character, Akseli Koskela, and covers some of the same events as Linna's 1954 novel: The Unknown Soldier, which is considered the author's magnum opus.

The last chapters of the book concentrate on the reconciliatory atmosphere created by the joint hardships endured during the war.

[1] The second book in the trilogy, The Uprising, generated considerable controversy over its portrayal of the Finnish Civil War because, for the first time, a novel was published that was sympathetic (in human terms, if not politically) towards the Reds.

Under the North Star played a crucial role in starting a discussion in Finland over what really happened in 1918 and in healing decades-old wounds between the two factions.