Early morning. The first sunbeams reach a city that is still asleep. A schoolboy hikes up a roller blind. In the harbor, behind a pile of goods, a homeless man wakes up. When the schoolboy is about to leave for school, his turtle comes crawling. He picks it up, and brings it along, when he walks away. The homeless man looks at the dockworkers going to work, listens to an organist in a church, and finds a coin in a park. After school the schoolboy shows his turtle for some classmates. The turtle has a small tower of matchboxes taped on its shell. One of the boys overturns the turtle with his foot. This makes its owner angry and the two boys start fighting. The homeless man passes by and turns the turtle back on its feet. The turtle walks away. The schoolboy looks for it all over the city, but cannot find it. Meanwhile the homeless man takes a nap in a park, without noticing the turtle passing by. A little boy puts the turtle on a small piece of wood, and pushes it out in a pond. The schoolboy arrives to the park and finally finds his turtle. He and the homeless man walk back to the city centre together. The homeless man sneaks into a boat for the night. The schoolboy lowers his roller blade.