When Ho Lin was only three years old, his mother died. Because his father had no one to care for him, the little boy accompanied his father to the fields every day where, if he was very good, he was allowed to ride the water buffalo. One day the buffalo had a calf, and Ho Lin's father gave the calf to his son who named it Dabbitse for its big nose. A few years later the boy's father died tool, and Ho Lin was sent to live with his weak uncle and cruel aunt who sold the buffalo to a neighbor and then sent Ho Lin to work on that farm. That spring, a sudden flood washed through the valley, killing the neighbor, the uncle and the aunt. Luckily, Ho Lin found Dabbitse who managed to swim to high ground. Ho Lin returned to his father's farm, and a neighbor raised him as his own son. The neighbor had a daughter who had always been fond of Ho Lin, and slowly the two grew aware of each other's feelings and were married, to everyone's delight.