The girl was kind-hearted and hardworking, but her stepmother always treated her harshly. One night, the fire at home accidentally went out, and the stepmother seized the chance to send her off: "Go deep into the forest and borrow fire from Baba Yaga!" The stepmother knew full well that Baba Yaga was a fearsome, mysterious old woman living in the forest, and that this trip was likely dangerous — she was really hoping to be rid of a girl she'd never liked.

The girl didn't dare disobey, so she gritted her teeth and set off. Along the way, she met a hungry, meowing cat, a squeaky, unoiled door, and a few old trees with tangled branches. Others who passed by always turned away in disgust, but the girl stopped — she shared her only bit of food with the hungry cat, oiled the squeaky door hinge with the grease she carried, and combed out the tangled branches of the old trees. She did these kind deeds quietly, expecting nothing in return.

The girl arrived at Baba Yaga's little hut that walked on chicken legs. Baba Yaga agreed to lend her fire, but on one condition: before dawn, the girl had to sort out an entire room full of mixed grain — good, bad, and moldy — down to the very last kernel. It seemed like an impossible task, but the girl didn't hesitate, sitting down to sort grain by grain. As she worked, sweat on her brow, the cat she'd helped earlier slipped quietly inside, using its paws to sort the grain at lightning speed. The door she'd oiled no longer creaked, staying silent to block Baba Yaga's several attempts to peek in early and check her progress. Even the trees outside stretched their branches to shield her from the cold draft. By first light, the grain was sorted, neat and perfect! Baba Yaga looked at the result and, with a rare smile, not only kept her promise and handed over the fire, but also gave her an extra gift — a magical lantern that burned on its own and never went out. The girl brought the fire and the lantern safely home, and her stepmother, both shocked and furious, never dared to mistreat her carelessly again.