There was a young man by the name Peter living somewhere in the Bulgarian lands. He is poor but lighthearted and sharp-witted. To earn his keep, Peter hires himself out as a farmhand to the village priest, Father Stavros. On St George's Day, Peter twice makes a laughing-stock of the local rich man, Stamo, in the eyes of the entire village. The priest and Stamo decide to get their revenge and rummage about among the old ledgers until they find out that Peter's grandfather has incurred some debt a long time ago. Together wit interest, the sum due has since trebled. To pay up, Peter has to forfeit his dilapidated house and his donkey to the rich man. As he refuses to go along, the local notables drive him out of the village. The jolly farmhand takes his leave of the rich man's daughter and takes to the road to look for Justice. Peter signs up as a farmhand at an ancient Greek monastery. He soon realizes that the monk's piety is only skin-deep.