Anya, an orphaned girl, lives with a cruel old woman and her daughter in their small house by the woods. On New Year's Eve, the queen announces that she wants galanthus brought to her on New Year's Day; she will reward him or her who can bring her the flowers with a basketful of gold coins. The old woman and her daughter hear this news and send Anya during a terrible snowstorm into the woods to collect the flowers. Anya has no option but to obey and is sure that she will die in her attempt to find the flowers, a mission that seems impossible; In the woods, Anya meets the Spirits of the Twelve Months and in reward for her kindness and good nature, the Spirit of April proposes helping the girl by presenting her with one hour of spring during which she can pick the flowers and return home safely. When this is done, the Spirit of January makes the girl promise that she will never tell anyone about this encounter, and the Spirit of April gives her one more gift, a magic ring that will summon the spirits' help should she ever be in trouble. Upon returning home, Anya is thanked by the queen for bringing her the flowers, but the young queen, who is no more than another orphaned girl of Anya's age, insists on knowing where the flowers came from. Anya then struggles between keeping her promise to the spirits or holding on to her own life.