Jesus Berruezo, a 10-year-old Mexican boy, has an obstruction in each ear. Because Jesus can't hear, he can't imitate the sounds others make, so he has been speechless all his life. The village priest tells the boy's family that if they can take him to Guadalajara, 1000-miles away, the doctors can perform a minor operation on the boy's ear, and Jesus will then be able to talk like everyone else. The family is heartbroken, because it will take three years to save the amount needed for his transportation. That night, Jesus takes a little bread, a piece of cheese, his best clothes and the precious letter the priest wrote to the doctor in Guadalajara, and sets off on the long pilgrimage from his little village to the big city.
