: The old fisherman catches a magical goldfish and lets it go. His greedy old woman-wife makes the old man go to the sea and ask that the fish fulfill her wishes, requires too much and remains with nothing.

An old man and an old woman lived in a dilapidated dugout on the seashore. They lived together for 33 years, the old man was fishing, and the old woman "spun her yarn." Once the old man went fishing. Twice he threw a net, but pulled out only mud. For the third time, one fish fell into the net, but not a simple one, but a gold one.

The fish spoke to the old man, asked to let her go, and promised to pay off "dearly." Frightened and surprised, the old man refused to be bought off and released the goldfish. Returning home, the old man told about this miracle to his old woman-wife. A sordid old woman scolded her husband and sent him back to beg a new trough from the fish - the old one completely collapsed.

The old man came to the sea, which "slightly played out", and asked the fish for a new trough. Having received the trough, the old woman even more sorted out and sent the old man to the fish for a new hut. The blue sea became cloudy, but the fish sailed and promised to fulfill the old woman's desire.

The old man returned home and instead of a dilapidated dugout he saw a new, beautiful hut. But this was not enough for the greedy old woman - she wanted to become a “pillar noblewoman” and again sent her husband to the sea. The fish sailed out of the troubled sea and fulfilled the old woman's whim.

When he returned, the old man saw instead of the hut a "tall tower".

On the porch is his old woman
In a dear sable murderer ‹...›
Before her are earnest servants;
She hits them, dragging them for a chuprun.

The old man asked if her darling was happy now, but the old woman shouted at her husband, "she sent him to serve in the stable."

A few weeks later, the old woman wished to be a “free queen” and again sent the old man to a goldfish. He was frightened, but did not dare to argue with his wife. He came to the blackened sea, bowed to the fish, and she took pity on the old man - promised to make the old woman queen.

The old man returned and saw the royal chambers instead of the tower, the old woman sits in them the queen, she is surrounded by a formidable guard, and "boyars and nobles" are serving her. The old man bowed to her, spoke, but the old woman told her to drive her husband away without even looking at him. The nobles and the boyars pushed the old man out of the chambers, and the guard almost cut off with hatchets.

A few weeks later, the absurd old woman sent the courtiers for her husband.

Turn back, bow to the fish.
I don't want to be a free queen
I want to be the mistress of the sea
To live in the Sea of ​​Ocian,
To serve me a goldfish
And I would have been on my premises.

Not daring “across the word to say,” the old man went to the sea, on which the “black storm” broke out.He called a goldfish and told her about the new desire of the "damned woman." The fish didn’t answer, “it just splashed its tail in the water and went into the deep sea”.

The old man did not wait for an answer, returned home and saw a dilapidated dugout, on his doorstep - his old woman, and in front of her - a broken trough.