Three brothers are sent in turn into a forest to chop wood, but when the elder two are approached by a beggar for food they refuse him. However, the third brother, Ivan-the-Fool, with only a crust and water to sustain him, friendly offers to share his pitiful provisions, and is surprised to find when opening his bundle it is full of all kinds of food, and the water has turned to wine. The beggar instructs Ivan to strike a particular three times and then go to sleep. When he awakes the tree has been transformed into a magnificent flying ship, with which he embarks on a long journey. On his travels he takes abroad six men of special powers: one with a giant stride, one with telescopic vision, one with an insatiable appetite, one with an insatiable thrust, one with a bundle of brushwood that becomes an army, and one with magic hay that can create instant winter. Thanks to his new friends Ivan performs impossible tasks by the Tsar and marries his daughter.