Shepherd boy Yohan (10) sits peacefully atop a high knoll and plays on a homemade willow flute while the familys cow and sheep are grazing.  Life is difficult on the scraggy mountain farm, but Yohan makes the best of it. 

The idyllic moment shatters when big brother Knut (13) arrives unexpectedly, ripping the flute out of Yohans hands and breaking it in two.  He accuses Yohan of being idle, and attracting bears and wolves.

Knut shares the same point of view as their mother, believing that it is important to uphold the customs of their community.   Yohan, however, is not concerned about what others do or think.  He is like their father, creative and inventive.  Knut, being older, believes that he is correct.  He uses every opportunity to demonstrate his own superiority by cutting down Yohan.

Yohan finds an orphaned bear cub in the forest and, despite desperate times, is allowed to keep Grassboy.  Knut feels this is unfair, and his jealousy toward Yohan grows.  When Father believes it necessary to work on a sailing ship, Knut becomes the man of the house.  He sells Grassboy while Yohan is away.

Mother is ill, and when the infant she is carrying dies at birth, Knut manages to convince himself that Yohan is responsible.  Knut sends Yohan away to become a child wanderer. 

During the 1800s, continuing into the 1910s, they were one of the signs of spring:  large flocks of children from the interior villages of West Agder on their way eastward.  They were to earn a living, both for themselves and their families, by working on the rich farms of the East, not returning home until it snowed in the fall. 

Yohan must tackle loneliness and other harsh realities, but his optimism, love of music, and ingenuity come in handy.  When he arrives at the farm, he enjoys eating until full every day. 

However, a predatory bear threatens their lives.  Also, Yohan must figure out how to rescue Anna, a girl who is treated cruelly on a neighboring farm.  First he runs to Arendal for help, but is discovered by the child worker agent.  He runs from the agent, and surprisingly, finds help from the Gypsies.     

When Father finally returns, he first discovers that Yohan has become a child wanderer, and then that he has escaped with Anna.   He sets out to find them.  Now, the bear is moving in toward Yohan and Annas hiding place - see the end in the movie...