Little Peter grows up in poor circumstances on a farm in the village of Walkringen in the Swiss canton of Berne.
When his alcoholic father is killed, the village authorities auction off the family farm and sell the children into foster families as indentured child labourers.
Peter, the youngest, is assigned to a miserly farmer from the neighbouring village. He’s put to hard work every day and must carry the milk down to the village as an errand boy. At first, Peter resists and tries to escape, but he doesn’t stand a chance.
When the season turns colder, the farmer gives Peter a pair of worn-out shoes that he can hardly walk in, as they are far too big for him. Peter stuffs the shoes with straw to give his feet extra warmth in winter.
Over the years, Peter's feet grow, but despite his pleas, he is not allowed a larger pair of shoes. He keeps his shoes on at night because of the pain and out fear of not being able to put them on in the morning. His feet become severely inflamed and begin to grow into the hard leather of the shoes. In his feverish dreams, he runs through the soft meadows as a light-footed hare, far away from the farm.
In his distress, Peter cuts the front of his shoes open. The village cobbler helps him out with a new pair of shoes, which become the catalyst for Peter to escape his situation with a novel, albeit painful, solution.
