Jehan, an aging war veteran, resides in a 19th-century Flemish village near Antwerp, raising his orphaned grandson Nello in a humble mud hut with a small garden. Crippled by wartime injuries, he sustains them through backbreaking milk-selling labor, aided by their loyal dog Patrasche—rescued from abuse and painstakingly nursed to health—who pulls their cart. His gentle, compassionate spirit defies their bleak circumstances as he relentlessly prioritizes Nello’s well-being amid relentless poverty. Advancing age and deteriorating health erode his capacity to work, gradually transferring burdens to Nello and Patrasche. His eventual death, claimed by age and illness, leaves the pair defenseless against eviction by a landlord seizing their home over unpaid rent.

Jehan’s past as a soldier, forged by military service and years of societal abandonment, fuels his resilience and unwavering devotion to family. His bond with Nello and Patrasche, rooted in mutual reliance and steadfast loyalty, fractures with his passing—a pivotal rupture plunging the pair into destitution and their inexorable tragic trajectory.