Linna’s Under the North Star, widely considered the most significant work of Finnish literature published during Finland’s independence, is the first volume of an epic trilogy of the same title.

This first part of this historical work, which encompasses Finnish history from the 1880s to the 1950s, depicts the turn of the 20th century (1884-1907). It gives a voice to hitherto silent actors on the stage of history as it offers a comprehensive account of the social and economic realities reflected in the hopes, dreams, and experiences of Jussi and Alma Koskela and their children in the rural village of Pentti's Corners in south central Finland.