In a series of humorous anecdotes, the life of a down-to-earth teacher and his class of orphans in a one-room Yugoslavian schoolhouse is filled with the most unlikely events. The class continues between late 1944 to the summer of 1945, and much happens during that time. The school's cook and mascot of sorts is a German POW, the teacher gets involved with saving the grandfather of one of his students from an undeserved retribution, and he gets the gift of a pig in return. The pig, however, may have a brief lifespan as food is in very short supply. As the students and teacher face a lack of food and many other hardships together, bonds are forged which will make it difficult to break up as summer approaches.