Wandering through the forest, a woodcutter finds a golden fern whose seed turns into a beautiful woman - they fall in love. After getting drunk in a village feast, he gets to sign up to the army. The fairy gives him a shirt to wear and asks him to swear he will never abandon it. At the war front, he falls in love with the the colonel's daughter and will have to perform various feats to get her attention.
Siglo XVIII. A una aldea bohemia llega un nuevo párroco que adopta una actitud inquisitorial sobre la vida y costumbres de sus feligreses, tratando de averiguar si en su grey se oculta alguna oveja negra. El elemento discordante resulta ser un maduro molinero, que destaca por saber interpretar los signos de la tierra y del clima.
