Daniel el Mochuelo ('Little owl') is a boy who must leave his village to go to study in the city. During the days leading up to his departure, Daniel and his inseparable friends Roque el Moñigo ('Cow pat') and Germán el Tiñoso ('Mangy') play, do some prank and, above all, observe the peculiar world of adults, which is a clear portrait of life in a small Spanish village during the Franco regime.