A young Englishman of Greek origin, writer Basil, comes to Greece. He meets a Greek named Zorba and tells him that he is heading to Crete, where he inherited a land plot and a mine from his father. He dreams of resurrecting coal mining at the mine and, perhaps, overcoming a creative block. Zorba convinces Basil to take him to Crete with him. Basil and Zorba are faced with the cruel customs of the locals, and only friendship helps them overcome all the problems that have arisen.