Melios Kadras, the hero of the book, has ceased to be a child and does not count the stars, only the thorns that life places on his path. He wanders once more in the province of Northern Greece, where he meets refugees thrown into remote villages, cunning gypsies philosophizing, poor and uneducated herders and farmers. There he meets two people who, each with their own folk wisdom and way, help him find a way out in the area.
He becomes a teacher in a village and proudly stands up to the tyranny of the "masters". He helps the poor and the helpless to find some meaning in their boring lives and faces with strength every injustice, every difficulty that comes his way. He makes the long-awaited return, riding a horse, to his city, to meet again his old classmates, but, above all, his only love, Agrambeli - a journey so bitter that after this he feels the need to hit the road again...
