In the early 1700s war rumbling began to roar over Sweden. Denmark, who had difficulty accepting the loss of Skåne 42 years earlier, had allied with Saxony-Poland. Eventually Sweden found itself in a two-front war when Denmark later that year expanded their alliance with Russia, a Russia with big ambitions to control the Baltic Sea. Now they took the chance to quell an unstable Sweden. The war that followed was called the Great Northern War and lasted between 1700-1721 and Sweden who had become militarily neglected had big problems in this war on two fronts. A Sweden, who in 1718 have seen their King Karl XII get killed, came to notice how the Swedish East coasts line were attacked by the Russian galley fleet that plundered, pillaged and burned in what became known as the Archipelago War. In the summer month of July 1719 Norrkoping was in turn ...

This is the intrigue to a story, where we follow Erik, a young Swedish orphan of the age of 19, who joined a vigilance committe of Norrkoping, which contained farmers and other civilians. The Swedish government had no urge to send any military help to aid Norrkoping against the approaching Russian fleet. We learn how Erik got more and more involved into the gathering, how boose flowed to strengthen and to raise a war attitude to the, normal, peaceful hard-working farmers, how the tension, fear, and hate raised among groups, how conflicts of various kinds appeared…and…we learn how Erik, met a love by the name Lena, only to loose her during the coming battle this particular hot summer week.

And so, we experience the battle when the Russians arrived, we learn how groups of brave men were fighting, how others, not so brave men, flees for their lives, how Erik in the middle of all this, for the first time, had to fight for his life and had to kill. We also learn, how some Swedish people in hate towards their own government not sending any military help, turned side and joined the Russians. A dangerous and complex situation where, eventually, the brave Swedish vigilantes managed to halt the Russians to proceed any further and at the end forced them to leave the town of Norrkoping…a burnt down Norrkoping that did not exist no more.

This is a story built up based on facts. The Russians did plunder, ravaged and burnt down many Swedish towns along the east coast during this period, including Norrkoping. Names and places are correct recited. People that are important for this story are also named correcty. Erik, however, is fictious and many other names. Lena, (Eriks love) did exist, but her destiny is uncertain, she disappeared. Uncertain sources gives in hand that she was abducted by the Russians along with other females and other captives and traitors who choosed to follow the Russians. This opens up for a follow up. What happened with Eriks love, Lena? Was she really abducted by the Russians? Shall Erik follow his heart and try to find her and what adventures will occur in Russia for him.