In this warm drama, Nils is in the hospital but is sufficiently ambulatory to get into the sorts of trouble ten-year-old boys everywhere get into. He's full of curiosity about everything and everyone, including the two other people in his room. One is an old man named Carson, who doesn't seem interested in much besides himself, and the other is a seriously ill boy named Lelle, who is about twelve. Lelle thinks he may be dying, and anyway he's afraid of getting too close to anyone, but after things quiet down in the evenings, he spearheads some fine, raucous adventures with Nils, and together they explore their hospital world in ways the adults wouldn't permit.