Estonia, a tiny country by the gulf of Findland, conquered by Russia and administered for her by the Baltic German Knighthood, has finally overcome almost six centuries of slavery. Now she is suddenly faced with a new menace - the intense Russification decreed by Tsar Alexander III. Into this seething cauldron of injustice Jarmo is born. Volume I of Orbits "On Becoming a Man", lauches the saga of Jarmo Matson. What shapes the boy to make him the man he becomes? Intelligence is Jarmo's strength, feeding his hunger for knowledge. Curiosity is his motive power, inspiring him to challenge the very laws of nature. Loyalty and integrity are inherited from his parents, leading him to fight for the underdog and stand up for his rights.
As he and his friends mature, they discuss and ponder over many aspects of life - poitics, their common enemies the Tsar and Baltic German Barons, and naturally they wonder about girls, love and sex. Many of these friends follow right through to Volume VI.
Feeling that he needs a little polish before entering university life and the social whirl of St. Petersburrg, his parents arrange for him to spend a working summer on the estate of a wealthy wido - a family friend. This experience brings a radical change in his life.
