Peter and Anne live in a struggling Upper Lusation weavers' village and would get married if they weren't so poor. Anne's father tells them that things used to be different when the village had a magic golden weaving shuttle that made everyone's work much easier.
Circumnavigator and South Seas voyager Luden Dassow (Erwin Geschonneck) returns with his white fishing boat Tambari to his home village Koselin. But the other fishermen are hardly welcoming.
The fisherman feels bad for the golden, speaking fish that he caught and releases him. The fish offers a free wish to the good-hearted man. The man asks for a boat, but his wife is not happy with it and asks for a house. Driven by the wife’s greed, the fisher asks for more and more.
There once were three sisters: Darkhair, Redhair and Goldhair. Darkhair and Redhair hope to marry young Silverwater, who is held captive by an evil sorceress.
A glaring poster in front of the house states "Wanted - Escaped murderer and robber! 5000 Marks Reward!" Rainer, known as Amigo, spots a man wearing a convict's uniform with a red sign on it, in a junk shed.
After her father's death, Cinderella's stepmother forces her to work as a maid at the family's manor, but all the servents and animals are fond of her because of her kind heart.
Once upon a time, Thumbelina was born in a blossom. The little girl's adventure starts when a bumblebee opens the flower. Thumbelina has to hide in a nutshell from a toad who is eager to get married and she lands on a water-lily leaf.
"Cowardy, cowardy custard!" shout the children who do not want to play with the little rabbit who sees danger everywhere. The little rabbit is very unhappy until one day, without thinking of being afraid, he catches the fox, who tries to kidnap his friend.
A young soldier discovers copper, silver, gold and an old tinderbox in the hollow of an oak tree. He is now richer than he had ever dared dream, but he squanders his money until his pockets are empty. The old tinderbox is the only thing he still has.