Based on Ion Creanga's book, the story of a child from his childhood to his manhood.

Loosely based on Moldovan author Ion Creanga's life as a child during the 1840s.Young schoolboy Ion is growing up fast in a provincial town of the Moldova. Local villagers call him "Nica a lui Stefan a Petrei". The film offers a detailed account of his childhood with special focus on the relationships between Ion and the various people in his life. The relationships between Ion as a child and his parents, friends, neighbors and teachers are described. The larger context of the Moldovan rural social universe of the 19th century is also touched upon. Finally, the film shows Ion's coming-of-age from an innocent child growing up in an idyllic remote village to a rebellious adolescent dreaming of becoming a priest.—nufs68