The original script tells the story of a girl named Lily whose mother dies and whose stepmother gives her difficult tasks and treats her like a servant. One day, the stepmother sends Lily to fetch water from the Well of the World's End using only a sieve. On her journey, Lily meets a frog who promises to help her if she agrees to do whatever he asks for one day, and he instructs her how to line the sieve so it can carry water.