Honza, the son of a poor cottage woman, sets out into the world one day to escape the royal recruiters. On his journey, he meets a magical herbalist, and from that moment on, his numerous adventures begin. Thanks to a magical violin, he frees a magical mill from devils, outwits a fearsome dragon, and with the help of enchanted cherries, he also defeats a treacherous king and his proud and deceitful daughter. In the end, Honza returns home with a bride after all—the kind and sincere princess's maid Madlenka, who helped him escape from the royal dungeon.

In a small and not very wealthy kingdom, there is one huge concern at the castle. The queen wants to marry off her adult son, Prince Emilian, at any cost. She has chosen the best bride for him, the noble and wealthy Princess Leonia. However, the future king of the country complicates this plan when he falls in love with the poor but clever and kind Stázička, the daughter of the local shoemaker Dratvička. He is not only a skilled craftsman, but also a clever practical man, and he shows not only the prince and queen, but also all the other conceited people, that the beauty of the human soul cannot be measured only by wealth and luxury.