The film is set in the 18th century. A young boy (Jean-Pierre Cargol) is found in the forest near Aveyron. The child was discovered after living in the wild for the first serveral years of his life, so he is placed under the supervision of Dr. Jean Itard. Itard (François Truffaut) names the boy Victor and observes the child's attempt to survive in his new, unknown world.There's a narrow margin between the civilized aspects of rough Parisian life and the brutal laws of life in nature. Victor finds a sort of equilibrium in the windows that mark the transition between the closed interiors and the world outside. Candles and mandoline airs also have an effect on him. But Victor gains his ability to have social relations by losing his capacity to live as a savage.