Piero Arca and his son Giuliano live alone on the outskirts of the city, on a farm full of injured animals they rescue and care for. The Nonne family, prominent local figures, want to drive them away because they live like vagabonds and because they cannot stand the fact that Emilio, the youngest member of their family, has formed an improper friendship with Giuliano. During a snowstorm, Piero disappears and the animals are killed. Giuliano has no choice but to set out in search of his father. Along the way, he meets Maddalena, who lives with her father, the notary Branca. It is love at first sight for both of them, even though Maddalena is bound to the Nonne family. Perhaps Giuliano knows how to save her. There is a place where they could hide, a place Piero introduced him to when he was still a child. A place inhabited by a small community of refugees.