Plot

Once upon a time, there lived a lazy miller who spent all his time drinking wine and telling stories. When the king's treasurer comes to him with a demand to pay the tax, the miller lies that his daughter Marie can spin gold from straw.

Once upon a time, there was a lazy miller, who spent all his time drinking wine and telling lies. When the king's treasurer demands payment of taxes, the miller lies that his daughter Marie can spin straw into gold. The father and daughter are told to report to the palace, where Marie is locked into a tower room full of straw. She is to spin all the straw into gold by the next morning. Of course she does not know how to spin straw into gold, as she tries to explain, and, once left alone, begins to cry. At that moment a little man appears, who says he will spin the straw if Marie gives him something of value. She agrees, gives him her necklace, and he fulfills his part of the bargain. The next morning, the king finds the gold and is delighted. The greedy treasurer makes Marie spin again. Marie must spin three times, and each time the little man comes to the rescue. On the third day, however, she has nothing left to give him, and promises him her first-born child. The little man spins all the straw into gold, and the next morning the king marries Marie. The second part of the tale begins when Marie's child is a year old. The little man returns, demanding his payment. But because he likes Marie and sees that she is kind-hearted, he gives her one chance to save her child: she must guess his name in three days.—DEFA Film Library

Lazy miller Kunz wastes all his time drinking, smoking and bragging to his mate, while hired hand Hans, who has a crush in his daughter Marie, toils his tail off doing all the work. One day, the royal treasurer, acting as tax collector, loses patience with backward payments, so Kunz expects to wriggle out with one of his far-fetched tales, promising Marie will spin enough gold from straw when it's full moon. The king has her locked in a palace tower to deliver, which seems impossible, or neither will leave the dungeon alive. At night, a mysterious measly man appears, who offer her a deal: her necklace for the gold threads. It works, even again when treasurer and king lock her up to fill the treasury with a load of gold, but now he demands her firstborn. Delighted, the king names Kunz royal councilor and weds Marie, who will bear his son and heir. After a year, the creature returns, demanding his pay, and when she begs to spare her baby, naughtily grants her one chance: if she can guess his unusual name by morning. Kunz nor royal couple manage, so a reward is offered to anyone who can. Hans sets out into the haunted forest, where he overhears the secret and rushes back, seeking another reward than gold.—KGF Vissers