A collection of short stories arranged by the seasons, following Marcovaldo, a poorly paid labourer in a large northern Italian city. He is a dreamer who longs for nature amid traffic, factories and advertising, and he keeps spotting mushrooms, rabbits, snow and stars where others see only streets. His small schemes to bring the natural world into city life usually go comically wrong. The stories are light, tender and quietly critical of modern consumer society, and they are often read as warm parables about wonder and hardship.