Until recently, the children from a village at the foot of the Gallows hill have had a tacit leader in Jozka (Zdenek Tuma) nicknamed the Gingerboy, the gravedigger's son. But now a new boy Olda (Jan Kraus), nicknamed Mouse, has moved into the village. Thanks to his father, the head of the village co-op, he has access to the co-op's horses, which he can ride freely and which he looks after enthusiastically. All the boys who want a ride become members of the Mouse's gang and the Gingerboy finds himself alone. Barborka, the gamekeeper's daughter and his platonic girlfriend, is the only one to stay with him. Mouse takes advantage of his domination and forces the boys from his gang to bully Gingerboy.