The fallen knight Lompatri travels through the remote province of the Three Kingdoms. With him is a mute, wounded creature, Nuoniel, who appears to be human, but has larch branches on his head instead of hair. The knight plans to sell this creature and drink the proceeds. Fate brings them to a village where local residents pray to the knight to return the children kidnapped by bandits. Lompatri cares neither for the peasants nor for the bandits; but the dumb Nuoniel seems to understand matters of honor much better than the knight. And he is getting better and getting stronger so quickly that he will soon be able to sell Lompatri to anyone he wants.