So as to save his own life, young Zollinger leaves the village where he was born and stays away for seven years, setting off on an adventure that will see him carry out all sorts of jobs. What starts off as a necessary and bitter exile ends up becoming an illuminating journey: he will encounter true love in a tiny railway station cabin, where every day he receives a call from a mysterious female telephone operator; he will savour the most loyal camaraderie and friendship among the ranks of the army; discover the mystery of nature in the ephemeral majesty of the forests... And, above all, he will learn to value the dignity of small, humble trades. The supplies he gradually accumulates throughout this journey will make him a whole man who can finally return home and become a skilled printer, the trade he has dreamed of doing all his life.