The Boy lives in a cottage with his mother and father, and the Dragon lives in a cave on the Downs. The Boy is his only friend. The Dragon is not at all the sort of Dragon one might expect to meet, however - he's polite, and friendly, and just came to the Downs to lead a peaceful life and compose poetry. However the Dragon soon finds himself the target of a campaign on the part of the townspeople to do away with him. So when St. George comes along with the aim of fighting him, the Boy needs to do some persuading. After all, George and the Dragon are supposed to fight - aren't they?