 The story takes place during WW II in Vojvodina. Two boys, Milan and Rasa, are sent from a partisan squad to a village for the winter. Soon Rasa becomes very ill and Milan goes to a nearby village populated by Germans. Here he finds a job as servant in Jakob Jerih s house. At night, Milan secretly nurses his friend Rasa in a hut in a swamp near the village. Soon, he finds another hiding place in master Jerih s stable. Jerih likes the diligent Milan and he even considers adopting the boy, but Jerih s cousin and assistant is against this idea. Namely because he counts on inheriting master Jerih s estate.