Rainbow's Shadow

The Shadow of the Rainbow tells of seeing and blindness as seen and told by three generations of women. A central role is played by the grandmother, Marjatta, who was blinded in a car accident in which her architect husband also died.

The story revolves around the fate of a mansard-roofed house as its surroundings change with the construction of a new highway, an expressway, and later a motorway. Marjatta's daughter Kaarin learns from childhood to act as her mother's eyes, interpreting the environment and choosing what to tell and what to leave untold.

When Marjatta moves in with the adult Kaarin, 12-year-old Helinä begins to guide her grandmother through a world whose meanings she doesn't yet fully understand.