The most traumatic event in Finnish history is the Civil War of 1918 between the Reds and the Whites. Finland had become independent a year earlier. The young nation was not spared the effects of the First World War or the Russian Revolution. Thousands of Finns were executed during and especially after the Civil War. Most of the executions were carried out by the victors. In this film this era of horror and terror is shown through the lives of two men - one an executioner, the other one of those executed. Both were victims of war. The Victims of 1918 continues Seppo Rustanius´ lauded series of Civil War documentaries. Using photographs and other documents, the director brings the tragedy from the past to modern times. The themes of the film are comparable to those of the Spanish Civil War and the events in the Balkans and in Rwanda.