Bright young soldier Mertsi suffers a permanent brain injury in the Second World War. In the late 1940s he wanders around the Finnish countryside looking for simple work and relying on other people's help. A workmate, Ville, tells him about his clever Spitz dog back home and the problems with her overlong dew claws. Together with his helpful war buddy Eetvi, Mertsi joins a lumber camp in the middle of a freezing winter, tries hard but finds the work there too strenuous for his body and mind. While he still sees nightmares about the war, in the daytime he keeps dreaming and worrying about the dog...

Mertsi Vepsäläinen haavoittuu jatkosodassa päähän ja saa aivovamman. Sodan jälkeen Mertsin ja hänet etulinjasta turvaan kantaneen Eetvi Mannisen tiet kohtaavat metsäsavotassa. Eetvistä tulee toistaitoisen Mertsin ”suojelusenkeli”.