In this film De Seta depicts the harsh exis­tence of herds­men in the moun­tains of Sar­dinia. They squeeze out what they can form the barren land­scape to feed their goats. The herds­men are part of a land­scape against which they have to strug­gle to sur­vive. They seek refuge in their little hut, where they sit qui­et­ly by the fire while a bitter wind howls out­side, sweep­ing snow across dark boulders.