Year 1915. Helene Schjerfbeck lives as a forgotten artist with her elderly mother in the countryside. It has been years since the last exhibit, and Helene continues to paint only because of her passion. Everything changes when art dealer finds Helen and her 159 wonderful paintings - and wants to organize a big private exhibit. However, Helen's turning point comes only when she is introduced to Einar Reuter. Young Einar is a forester, art enthusiast, and a passionate admirer of Helene's work. He becomes Helen's trusted and lover.
Pirkko Saisio is a Finnish author, director and actress. She has also written under the pen names Jukka Larsson and Eva Wein. Saisio is best known for his work in literature, and has broad literary output. In addition to novels, she has written plays, film and television screenplays, musicals, librettos, song lyrics and translations. Saisio is the mother of actress Elsa Saisio, and is in a Civil Union with director Pirjo Honkasalo.