When Danny returns to Tortilla Flat in Monterey, California, after the First World War he moves into a small house left to him by his grandfather. One by one, various ne'er-do-wells are drawn to Danny's house - lured in part by the appeal of a rook over their heads, in part by Danny's generosity and the camaraderie that springs up around him.

Deftubg all social conventions and expectations, Steinbeck's gallery of knights thrive on the love- and the fights -0 that inevitabley accompany a glorious night of drinking wine. They suffer the temptations of greed and lust, stand firm in their loyalty to one another, and, finally, come to understand the power of goodness and courage.