A poor widow once had a long leather bag of gold and silver left by her husband, but an old hag stole it and vanished. Years later, when the three daughters are grown, each decides in turn to “push her fortune.” Before leaving, their mother offers each a choice: a whole bannock without her blessing, or half a bannock with her blessing. The two older girls choose the whole bannock without the blessing and go out into the world.

Each of the older sisters eventually comes to a little house where the old hag lives. The hag hires her as a maid, warning her never to look up the chimney. Each girl disobeys, discovers her mother’s stolen leather bag, and runs off with it. On the way home, a series of neglected beings and places plead for help: a horse to be rubbed, a sheep to be shorn, a goat’s tether to be changed, a lime-kiln to be cleaned, a cow to be milked, and a mill to be turned. Both older sisters refuse each request, strike or scowl at them, and finally sleep behind the door of the mill with the bag as a pillow. The hag quickly tracks each girl by questioning the horse, sheep, goat, lime-kiln, cow, and mill. Because they received no kindness, they all help the hag by telling her where the girl is. The hag finds each daughter and, with a white rod, turns her into a stone and recovers the bag.