The old woman soon dies and the Boy is on his own, wandering through the countryside, from village to village, farmhouse to farmhouse.
The film follows the journey of The Boy, entrusted by his persecuted parents to an elderly foster mother.
But there are rare moments of compassion: a German soldier spares The Boy, a priest intervenes on his behalf, and finally The Boy becomes the protégé of a Russian sniper, who is kind to the child, but ruthless with the enemy.
The Boy is seduced by an older girl, finally re-discovering the comfort of intimacy, only to realize that he has been used.