Summer, 1954. Tough and secretive Pippo, 9, leaves the orphanage he had been placed in and is welcomed by Gustave and Cécile, a couple of farmers. Guided by his adoptive parents, the young boy is faced with a new life and a tough rural environment where many hard lessons have to be learnt. As friendship develops with Pierre, a former soldier, Bernadette, a pretty young girl, and Alphonsine, a mysterious old woman, Pippo takes his first steps on the road to maturity.