Johanna, the hostess of the parish house, does her utmost to ensure that everything goes according to plan. There is no room for error. The last thing Johanna needs is a busload of uninvited guests knocking on the door of the parish house on the eve of an important wedding. However, a passing Russian party has had its car broken down and Johanna soon finds herself accommodating the party at the parish house. Johanna's brother is tasked with fixing the car to get the guests on the road and out of the way quickly. Her brother's entrepreneurial friend, on the other hand, sees great opportunities in the situation and decides to act. The clock ticks, the car won't start, the wedding ceremony is about to begin and the recipe for disaster is in motion.
Viktor Kärppä was forced involuntarily in the middle of Russia's internal power struggle. Soon bunch of assassins as well as Security Police are trying to catch Kärppä. Kärppä's family is also in great danger. In order to save themselves and their families they need to resort to Kärppäs friend, the police Korhonen , as well as his brother Aleksei.
The film follows Finnish army machine gun company in Continuation War against Soviet Union, 1941–1944. Based on Väinö Linna's best selling novel Tuntematon Sotilas (The Unknown Soldier) and the novel's uncensored version, Sotaromaani (A War Novel).
During the 1950s, Helsinki was the focal point of the Cold War, as global powers and their intelligence agencies coalesced in the small neutral country that stood between the East and the West. Shadow Lines is an international spy thriller that follows a secret intelligence team whose mission is to defend the independence of Finland no matter the cost.