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.