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. A cowpoke's cautionary challenge becomes the forum by which Sara explains that she has had to work abroad for protracted periods of time as evidenced by her previous visit having taken place the year before -- a dynamic that has driven Katri to perch on a bridge railing oblivious to how worried her grandparents Hilda and Julius Ukonniemi are about her. A very sentimental mother-daughter reunion gives way to Katri exchanging notes with Sara about the lives they have led before Sara presents Katri her payload -- an energetic dachshund puppy. Katri becomes extremely fond of the dachshund puppy which she names Aapeli whose immense affection and situational utility does very little to compensate for Sara's protracted absence during which the Colossal War in Europe extinguishes all correspondence and finding to her horror that her grandparents' micro-economy is in a bad way even without a large bear that thinks of Katri and her grandparents as food before Aapeli barks some trepidation into the large ursine. Even as the male villagers slay the bear that they think is why another farm lost two cows and Aapeli barks an injunction against proximity to the forest to the calf, it ultimately offers very cold comfort to Katri who does not like the necessity of selling a cow that she is fond of -- and that a bear has decided for the cow being its next meal along with her grandpa.

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. Much to Katri's anguish, a bear has killed Juura's mother and damaged the family micro-economy to the point where Katri gives some serious thought to offering her labor to the other farmers -- the divergent concourse thereof inflaming the aftermath of Katri's grandfather having damaged himself even more by going in the sauna. While Katri's attempt the next morning to make her case of offering her labor to the other farmers to him is unsuccessful, Julius does acknowledge the money problems of the farm but would rather see Katri fulfill the much grander plans he has for her. Upon setting course to appraise Juura's status, Katri coming upon a schoolboy named Martti playing hooky from school ultimately becomes the genesis for the two kids' The grass is greener on the other side exchange of personal perspectives that branches into a demonstration of Aapeli's great situational utility in herding animals and a lucrative friendship -- if Martti succeeds in finding a job for Katri.

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. While Julius compares notes with his wife Hilda about Martti and how to weather the storm ahead, Martti and Katri begin their angler outing oblivious to the deteriorating weather conditions building above them which forces the two kids to take shelter in a cave when their boat is swept from its mooring; now marooned on the island, Martti finds the courage to explain Katri a significant ethical issue of his family employing her before resolving to gather data from the commerce his family prosecutes. Aapeli rises to the occasion as the ultimate skeleton key to Katri and Martti successfully forestalling hypothermia prior to Julius's arrival on the island; unfortunately, Julius arrives too late to proactively forestall Katri and Martti catching a cold as a memento of the ordeal.

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 Katri and Julius expounding on several instances of Aapeli's situational utility, the cobbler sees things their way and agrees to write the requisite recommendation letter. As if to help ultimately seal the deal, Aapeli even gets into the act to once again demonstrate his situational utility when he takes the initiative to assume responsibility for Governor Halme's horse catalyzed by Katri's direction; after being mistaken for a cattle thief, Martti is elated upon learning the epilogue Katri has had visited unto her -- a new job within a week and Ukonniemi-ke being bailed 15 liters of wheat courtesy of a contrite Governor Halme.

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. After taking a recess for lunch, Katri and Martii find that passing through a nearby village is easier said than done when they are accosted by a quartet of boys that take an unethical interest in the dachshund; when it becomes apparent that the boys will not listen to Aapeli's Leave me alone!!! growls complete with a defensive chomp, Martii renders unto Katri his greatest parting gift: stalemating the bullies so that she can escape. The bullies repulsed and Martii sent off back to Halme-ke is ultimately cold comfort to Katri and Aapeli literally running on fumes as their re-affirmation of their course for Räikkölä-ke becomes the genesis of their initial encounter with a cowpoke from Penttilä named Pekka whose courier intercession carries with it enduring his crass comedy as the salary; as the proximity to Räikkölä-ke increases, so will the necessity of Katri acknowledging the hefty syllabus ahead of her.

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.