Remi and his mother live alone in a small village, until one day they get word from Remi's father that he has been injured on the job, and to get enough money, they must sell Remi's beloved cow Rousette.

Remi's father returns, bitter and gnarled by his misfortunes. He informs Remi that he is adopted, and since they can no longer afford to care for him, he must be sold.

Remi is introduced to a severe looking man who might be interested in buying him. His name is Vitalis, a traveling performer, who also has with him a group of animals. But there's no way Remi's mother will allow him to be sold…

Life on the road is hard. Remi's feet hurt, and he misses his mother dearly. But soon he finds that although the life is hard, Vitalis is quite a kind man.

The Vitalis Troupe arrives at a town, and Remi is overjoyed when Vitalis buys him new shoes and clothes… until he realizes that they're silly looking performer clothes. And what is Remi to do as part of the act?

With Remi settling into the street performer life, Vitalis decides it's time to teach him to read and write.

On a quiet night, Remi hears Vitalis singing, and gets a glimpse of the man's mysterious past.

Remi meets a man who keeps a crow as a pet, but gets distracted and soon finds himself separated from the troupe and hopelessly lost.

At a seaside town, Remi makes friends with a rich little girl who came to see him perform. But when he goes to attend her birthday party, he's in for a harsh lesson about class distinctions.

In a town with a particularly strict police officer, Vitalis finds himself under arrest.

Vitalis attempts to plead his case while behind bars, but getting a fair trial proves to be difficult. Can Remi and the animals survive without him?

Without Vitalis to guide the troupe, Remi tries to run the show himself, but money and food are both getting scarce.

Starving and increasingly desperate, Remi's luck takes a turn when he meets a wonderful family aboard a beautiful boat.

Mrs. Milligan takes Remi and the animals in aboard the Swan, and Remi has never been happier. But there's an air of sadness around her son Arthur.

Remi adjusts to a happy, well-fed life aboard the Swan, even if Arthur can be difficult to get along with at times.

A violent storm results in Remi getting separated from the Swan, with all of the animals still on board.

Mrs. Milligan offers to permanently adopt Remi, but that would mean abandoning Vitalis. What will Remi do?

Vitalis, fresh out of jail, is back, and Remi leaves the comfort of the Swan to join him. Together, the troupe is back on the road.

Winter is coming, and with the troupe essentially homeless, that means days of illness and desperation are afoot.

The troupe takes refuge in a cabin during a snowstorm, but the dogs are hungry. Things take a tragic turn.

There's no time to mourn, as Joli-Couer has fallen ill, so Vitalis finds a doctor. On the way, they make some new friends.

Joli-Couer's illness does not improve, even as the troupe reaches a town. He summons all his strength for one last performance…

With the future of the troupe in doubt, Vitalis turns to an old friend for help. Life stays bitter and cold.

With Vitalis falling ill, Remi temporarily joins up with a street urchin Mattia to make ends meet.