The Shadow of the Rainbow

The Shadow of the Rainbow is a story about sight and blindness, seen and told by women from three generations. 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 as a child to be her mother's eyes, to interpret the environment, and to choose 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 does not yet fully understand.