After his beloved grandmother dies, the sensitive boy in this drama is so heartsick that he will not speak to anyone and won't accept the gentle attentions of his foster parents. Instead, he makes his own village out of snow up on the mountains behind his alpine home. His isolation is broken when a rootless old man takes an interest in him and gets himself invited into the boys games. Meanwhile, a valuable chalice and religious image have been stolen, and the old man is suspected, and perhaps the boy as well. The villagers' wrath is only stayed by the efforts of a high-ranking churchman, who takes the boy into his care.
~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide