Two migrant field workers in California on their plantation during the Great Depression-George Milton, an intelligent but uneducated man, and Lennie Small, a bulky, strong man but mentally disabled-are in Soledad on their way to another part of California.
After being hired at a farm, the pair are confronted by Curley-The Boss's small, aggressive son with a Napoleon complex who dislikes larger men, and starts to target Lennie.