The narrative is set on a steep alpine slope and contrasts two neighboring households: one tidy and orderly, the other shabby and overcrowded. Children of the poorer dwelling are unkempt and left to their own devices while a careful neighbor watches from afar. Central is a timid, undernourished boy nicknamed This, who keeps to himself and bears the household's strain as others work the fields and tend animals. Through scenes of seasonal labor, domestic difficulty, and small gestures of attention, the story examines poverty, neglect, communal judgment, and the gradual moral and personal growth that allows the boy to find dignity and a place among his neighbors.