George and his large, simple-minded friend Lennie are drifters, with nothing in the world except each other – and a dream. A dream that one day they will have some land of their own, somewhere to settle and live in peace. Finding work on a ranch in California’s Salinas Valley, they hope to stay long enough to get some money together. But kind-hearted, childlike Lennie is prone to getting into trouble – unable to control either his emotions or his enormous strength, he is a target for the casual cruelty of others. And when disaster strikes again, it seems that this time George may not be able to save his friend …