Streetwise George and his big, childlike friend Lennie are drifters, searching for work in the fields and valleys of California.

They have nothing except the clothes on their back, and a hope that one day they'll find a place of their own and live the American dream.

But dreams come at a price. Gentle giant Lennie doesn't know his own strength, and when they find work at a ranch he gets into trouble with the boss's daughter-in-law.

Trouble so bad that even his protector George may not be able to save him.