Based on a true story, the film follows the discovery of a feral child who has grown up wild in the forest in late 18th-century France. Truffaut plays Dr. Jean Itard, a deaf-mute specialist who tries to civilize the boy, teaching him to walk, speak, and read. The story is one of Truffaut's most unusual, but it does deal with a key concern of Truffaut's - reforming childhood institutions and care.
