An agricultural setting in the mid-14th century. Vineyards and olive groves stretch as far as the eye can see. In the distance, there is a farmstead, simple but not poor. The family that lives there consists of father, mother and an eight-year old son, Nino. As farmers, they have everything they need and nothing more. The rhythm of their days is set by the hours tolled by the bells, the passing of the seasons, the rising and setting of the sun, the rain and wind, the searing heat of summer. Nino wakes at dawn and takes the goats to pasture. Traversing archaic, sublime landscapes, he walks as if on an immensely long journey down a path of knowledge.