[3] The film tells the story of Yemelya the fool who catches a magical pike that grants him wishes in exchange for its life.

[4][5] In the dead of winter, the poor farmer's son Yemelya is not able to cut wood and then drive back home to his mother's hut because the last horse was taken from him by the Tsar.

One of the heralds sees Yemelya and observes him as he wishes that the wood-laden sled would be able to drive home without a pulling horse.

At the Tsar's court, none of the suitors have managed to make the princess laugh, the herald returns and tells his master about the miracle he saw.

The newly in-love couple manages to shake off the pursuers and settle in a distant place together with Yemelya's mother and honorable people.