| Opening |
The story begins with a farmer who shows his three sons a trampled field of wheat. He asks them to stand guard, but the youngest, Ivan (John), is chosen to watch the field. |
| Night Adventure |
Ivan, while chatting with a hedgehog he once saved, sees the outline of a mare. He throws a rope into a misty cloud, and the mare pulls him across fields and meadows before they fall into a swamp. Ivan saves the mare, who promises not to trample the wheat again. |
| Magical Foal Encounter |
The next morning, Ivan discovers two horses and meets a small Humpbacked Foal, who reveals that he was sent by the mare to help Ivan. |
| The King’s Stables |
Ivan, wishing to sell the horses for money, is tricked by the king into giving them to the royal stables. Ivan, with the Foal's help, calls the horses back. The King offers him a job as the royal groom. |
| King's Devious Plot |
As Ivan becomes more beloved by the people, the King, jealous, tries to find a way to execute him. He sends Ivan on a mission to capture the Firebird, believing he will fail. Ivan, with the Foal’s help, captures the Firebird but releases it, as it can only flourish when free. |
| Firebird's Intervention |
Despite Ivan’s honesty and returning a feather from the Firebird, the King’s executioners prepare to kill him. However, the Firebird appears and saves Ivan just in time. |
| Quest for the Tsar-Maiden |
The King, still wanting to destroy Ivan, sends him to retrieve the Tsar-maiden, who resides in an icy realm. Ivan, with the help of the Foal, succeeds, and the Tsar-maiden refuses to marry the King. She desires a grandmother’s ring, lost in the ocean. |
| The Quest for the Ring |
Ivan and the Foal embark on a dangerous journey across magical roads. They discover the location of the ring, retrieve it from a whale who swallowed ships, and return it to the Tsar-maiden. |
| King's Rejuvenation Test |
The King, desperate to marry the Tsar-maiden, agrees to a test involving cauldrons of boiling water, ice water, and milk. The Tsar-maiden reveals that John must throw certain magical items into the cauldrons to survive. |
| The Flower of Life and Death |
The Foal, despite being wounded, finds a magical flower, which can save Ivan. He risks his life to pluck it. |
| King's Fate |
Ivan survives the cauldrons, and the King, eager for rejuvenation, jumps into the first cauldron but is swept away by a massive bubble, never to be seen again. |
| Final Resolution |
With the King gone, Ivan becomes the ruler of the kingdom, marrying the Tsar-maiden. The Foal, having fulfilled his destiny, remains a faithful companion. |