During the winter, the grandfather tells his grandchildren the fairy tale of Mother Holly: A widow lives with her two daughters—the hardworking and beautiful Blondmarie, who, as an unloved stepchild, must do all the chores, and her own lazy and wicked daughter, Blackmarie. When Blondmarie enters the realm of the weather fairy Mother Holly and diligently performs her duties there, she is richly rewarded for her efforts: Blondmarie returns home in a golden dress. Now Blackmarie dreams of the same wealth, and so she enters Mother Holly's service, but her laziness earns her nothing but a shower of pitch. Blondmarie, however, knows how to make the most of her good fortune: she gifts her gold to the fields, now bearing a bountiful harvest, and so she is able to marry her beloved shepherd, Kaspar Franz, as a simple farmer’s wife.