This novel from the Finnish Vartio, is set in a Finnish village during the early 20th century. The mentally unstable title character, Adele, argues with her maid, Alma, about the fire that consumed the parsonage, and soon moves on to other topics. An obsession with a set of stuffed birdsp̮assed down from the parson's uncle to the parson, to his wife and, finally, to Alma's care-serves as a major focus, with ample space devoted to addiction, sexual violence and other topics.