Towards the end of the 1920s the Finnish goverment introduced a twelve year long ban on alcohol. This resulted in very lively and profitable spirit smuggling from Estonia to Finland. This was risky business, where human life was of little worth. Tulivesi is a film set in this time. Eerik, a young man, does his best to make money out from the Finnish ban on spirits. His dream is to buy a boat with the money he makes. He is confronted by the honest Aleks, the new head of customs at the border checkpoint. Aleks is deadly serious about stopping the spirit smuggling.