North Finnish province of Kainuu; the croft of Topi and his family
Act 1
It is late autumn; a bear, symbol of the threat of brutal nature, is heard nearby; it has carried off one of their sheep. As Topi promises to slay the bear, he argues with his wife, both feel trapped by their poor life and realise that they have barely any food remaining for the family. Topi believes that things will change for the better. Topi dreams that he has gone to the village to ask for help for children, but, admonished by the vicar for not attending church, aid arrives too late and his children are dead. Topi awakes, terrified by his dream, but takes some birds to exchange for grain and sets off to the village. Riika regrets having called Topi names. A pedlar enters, Simana Arhippaini from Karelia, tells the children riddles and sings a ballad, but cannot answer their serious questions. Topi returns and gets Kunilla to read to him from a socialist newspaper, and talks about ‘an election’, a possible way of release from their toil and poverty without understanding the importance of it. New Year An agitator addresses an open-air meeting. Despite interruptions from a young priest, he proclaims social democracy and tells of freedom, equality and fraternity. The people are slowly aware of the meaning of the vote.
Act 2
Neighbours join Topi and Riika to celebrate Twelfth Night. Riika reads from a socialist tract; all will be voting in the election but Topi, having only ever held axes and spades in his hands, wonders how he will make his mark — a red line — on the ballot paper. As they are discussing the future, dogs start barking, aware that the bear is turning in his sleep, but the people can't sense this. Fifteenth of March Outside the polling-booth a confrontation takes place between the young priest and his choir, and the socialist organiser and his group. The voters are checked as they enter to vote. Topi and Riika go in. Later in the spring Topi is at the logging camp; Riika anxiously clears fresh tracks in the snow for him every day, hoping for his return. She desperately longs for word that the election has changed their lives; but no one comes. The children have all fallen ill from malnutrition. Kaisi tells Riika it is a punishment; when Topi returns they have all died. The vicar agrees to bury them for a reduced price, as they can all fit in a single coffin. The message comes that the election has been won by the ordinary people. There is the promise of better clothes, food and health, but it is too late for Topi and Riika. Then dogs bark, warning of the bear, which has awakened. Topi goes to fight it, but he is killed and Riika finds him dead, and cries out in horror over his corpse, with blood pouring out of his throat, in a red line.
The music
Grove notes the careful structuring of mood via the music with lyricism in the opening scenes, pastiche folk music where needed and a choral confrontation between the old and the new. Bush describes the music as "expertly composed and elegantly orchestrated", and commends scenes 4 and 6, and the orchestral interludes. Another writer commented that in this "grim opera" the very intense dramatic effect of the music may be due to its generally low-key approach.
