Danny, a veteran of the First World War, returns to Tortilla Flat to enjoy a carefree, aimless, and amoral life in the coastal town of Monterey, California.
This 1936 novel-set in the California apple country-portrays a strike by migrant workers that metamorphoses from principled defiance into blind fanaticism.
Lenny, a mentally retarded child-man, and his lifelong friend George, dream of having their own ranch some day, until unintentional violence brings tragic consequences.