Tim and Susie, a young boy and girl, lived near a big forest with their father and mother. Their father was a factory worker and their mother was a kind and pretty housewife. Everything seemed perfect until their mother mysteriously disappeared in the forest. A rescue party from the town searched everywhere, but no one ever found her or knew what had happened to her.

Since Tim and Susie were still young, their father decided to remarry. However, the new stepmother did not like children and was always mean to Tim and Susie. One day, while the father was at work, the wicked stepmother took the children deep into the forest. She sat them down on a log and told them to wait there for her while she gathered some herbs for cooking, but she never came back.

The wicked stepmother returned home and told the father that she feared that beasts had carried the kids off while she was searching for herbs. The father put together a search party, but no one found the kids because the stepmother had intentionally misled the rescue party.

The two kids sat on the log all night, but when no one came looking for them, they began walking, but they were completely lost. Eventually, they came across a lone cottage in the woods. As they approached the house to ask for help, an ugly old lady came out of the house; Susie and Tim were frightened. “Don’t be afraid, my dears. Would you like to come in and have a nice cup of hot chocolate?” The hungry children went into the house and enjoyed their drink and some pie. Since it was getting late, the old woman put the children to bed.

About midnight, Tim heard something and woke up to find that the old woman was sitting on his sister's bed. She was humming a familiar tune. “I know this song,” said Tim. “Me too,” said Susie, mom used to sing it to us.” And they all began to sing.

While they were singing, a light suddenly shone in the room and the old woman suddenly turned into a younger woman. “My children,” she said with a smile. Tim and Susie couldn't believe their eyes; they were so happy.

The mom explained to them that the witch had put a spell on her that turned her into an ugly old woman and transformed the witch into a beautiful young lady. Because of the spell, she could not leave the cottage yard.

The evil stepmother saw all this with her magic mirror. She had no desire to be old and ugly again, so she set out to the cottage to kill them all before her secret was discovered. When she hurriedly left without a word, the father, curious, secretly followed her.

The stepmother arrived at the cottage and went inside and tied the children and mother with her magic rope. The father, peaking through the window, saw his family and was furious at what the witch had done.

He knew she wanted to kill them all so he sneaked into the house and hit her in the back of the head with a coal shovel. The family escaped and returned to their happy home.