Inhabitants of a poor neighborhood in the small seaside town of Monterey. Fishermen and thieves, small traders and swindlers, “moths” and their sad and cynical “guardian angel” - the middle-aged doctor Doc. The heroes of the story cannot be called respectable; they do not get along well with the law. But it is impossible to resist the charm of these people. Their adventures, sometimes funny, sometimes sad, under the pen of the great John Steinbeck, turn into a real saga about a Man - both sinful and holy, vile and ready for self-sacrifice, deceitful and sincere...