Prince Ivan has lost his parents, and now must take care of his three sisters. After marrying them off to an eagle, a falcon, and a raven, he sets out to find a wife for himself. He finds one in the great warrior-queen Marya Morevna. But he also finds more than he bargained for. And it just might lead to him being chopped into pieces . . .

In the analysis section, Nicholas Kotar leads us through J.R.R. Tolkien's excellent essay "On Fairy Stories," exploring why now, more than ever, we need the consolation and enchantment provided by old tales.