Wish of the Fairy Fish

Emelya, a simple peasant, pulls a talking Pike from an ice hole. The Pike offers to grant three wishes in exchange for release. This event sets the premise for Emelya's extraordinary adventures.

With curiosity and mischief, Emelya wishes to see the city but cannot rise from his stove. The Magic Pike compels the stove to travel toward the city, turning Emelya's dream into a dizzying reality. The journey marks the start of his urban ambitions.

Emelya wishes for summer to arrive in the heart of winter, and the Pike grants it. Warm weather arrives while the landscape remains cold, altering the pace of life around him. The wish demonstrates the Pike's power and Emelya's growing boldness.

Ruffians target Emelya for the powerful Pike. In a panic, he tosses the Pike into a river and is captured; he is hanged upside down from a tree. The Pike, now transformed into a beautiful girl named Vasilisa, frees him, binding their fates together.

Freed by Vasilisa, Emelya learns that the Pike is a magical maiden. He keeps her scales and ponders the third wish, sensing greater possibilities beyond mere mischief. Their alliance begins to tilt toward love and power.

Deciding to secure a high-status match, Emelya resolves to marry Princess Anfisa, daughter of Tsar Feofan. With Vasilisa's aid, he steps into the world of court intrigue, hoping to win favor and a throne-like future. This marks the start of a new subplot in the tale.

To win Anfisa's hand, Emelya is sent to obtain a self-playing accordion from Bayun the cat, who uses music to lull and devour. With Vasilisa's help, he locates the cat, and Bayun eventually agrees to accompany him to the palace. The cat's presence adds magical danger and comic charm.

Anfisa's scheming mother Agrippina urges Emelya to fetch a self-assembling tablecloth from two gluttonous prisoners in the Stone City. The two men foam with excess, becoming too fat to leave. Emelya's plan hinges on stealing the tablecloth from them, aided by Vasilisa and the spring water that reveals their true nature.

Having acquired the magical tablecloth, Emelya returns to the city and earns the Tsar's respect. Agrippina pushes Anfisa to insist that Emelya seek her mother's blessing from the Other World, setting the stage for a journey beyond the living realm.

On the way to obtain the blessing, Emelya and Vasilisa visit his father. He uses his last wish to restore his father's sight, a powerful personal sacrifice. He returns Vasilisa's scales and frees her, though she continues to travel with him.

In the Other World, Emelya learns that Vasilisa is Koshchei's daughter. Agrippina resists giving her blessing, subjecting her to hunger until she relents. The scene is witnessed by Feofan and Anfisa via a tray's reflection, foreshadowing the perilous bargains to come.

Koshchei releases Emelya and Vasilisa, but the memory of the other world erases much of what they saw. Vasilisa briefly reverts to the pike, and Emelya returns alone to the city, his earlier memories dimmed by enchantment.

Back in the mortal realm, Anfisa learns of Emelya's feats through witchcraft and condemns him to execution. Vasilisa, having escaped Waterman's reach by taking human form, offers Anfisa a deal: spare Emelya in exchange for her service. Anfisa accepts and frees Emelya.

Anfisa's vanity stirs a new resolve: she wishes to become a sorceress herself. She turns into a pike, but her power is limited to granting others' wishes. Waterman arrives through a well, mistaking Anfisa for Vasilisa, and claims her, sealing her fate.

With Anfisa taken away, Feofan is restored as Tsar. Emelya and Vasilisa decide to continue their journey together, leaving the court behind to pursue their own path. The pair depart for new adventures beyond the capital.