A pastoral romance, based on Peretz Hirshbein's legendary tale of a young Hasidic scholar who leaves hos studies to search the countryside for common people and a meaningful existence close to the land. He happens upon a family of simple Jewish peasants who take him in as a boarder and tutor for their children. The restorative effect of the open country upon a man who has known only classrooms and city streets is the powerful theme of this Yiddish literary classic.