Once there lived a kind-hearted girl whose gentle mother had died. Her father remarried a harsh woman who, along with her two daughters, gave the girl the hardest chores and made her sleep by the hearth among the ashes. So everyone began calling her «Aschenputtel» — «Ashes-girl».

Before she died, the girl's mother had told her to stay good and patient, and to plant a hazel twig on her grave and water it with her tears. The girl did just that, and the twig grew into a tree. Whenever she sat beneath it and made a wish, a little white bird would appear and grant her whatever she needed.

When the prince announced a three-night festival to choose a bride, Aschenputtel was forbidden to go and was ordered instead to pick lentils out of the ashes. But the little birds came to her aid, gathering every lentil in a blink, and the hazel tree gave her a beautiful gown and golden slippers to wear.

Aschenputtel went to the festival for three nights running, and danced with the prince, who was captivated by her — though he never learned who she was, since she always slipped away before midnight. On the last night, one golden slipper fell on the staircase. The prince picked it up and vowed to marry whichever girl it fit.

Many girls tried the slipper in vain, until it was Aschenputtel's turn — and it fit her perfectly. The prince recognized her at once and married her, and she lived happily ever after, her patience and kindness finally rewarded.