A bird is telling a story to a dog:

Eckbert and his wife Berthe live in seclusion in the Harz mountains. One stormy night, Eckbert’s only friend Walther visits them. To pass the time, Berthe tells Walther her life story:

In her childhood, her parents were cruel, so she escaped to a remote region where a mysterious old woman brought her up. The old woman had only a dog – whose name Berthe has forgotten – and a magic bird for company. The bird laid jewels instead of eggs every day.

Berthe was content, but eventually curiosity about the outside world got the better of her. She escaped, tying up the dog, stealing the jewels and letting the bird escape. Arriving at her home village, she found her parents were dead. She settled down and married Eckbert. They have lived on the proceeds of the jewels, since Eckbert has no money.

On retiring for bed, Walther says ‘you told your story so vividly that I can just imagine the bird and your little dog, Strohmian.’ Strohmian! Berthe immediately recognizes the name she had forgotten and is full of wonder at how Walther knew it – whilst Eckbert’s suspicions grow.

Eckbert, aimlessly hunting in the forest, hears a distant rustling. Just as he shoots, he sees his target is Walther. The arrow hits Walther, and he is killed.

All Berthe’s childhood memories and fears have been awakened by Walther, and she becomes ill, and near death.

Eckbert, burdened with worry, visits the nearby city seeking distraction. He meets a compassionate stranger, Hugo, who befriends him. But as their intimacy deepens, Eckbert becomes suspicious of Hugo. He thinks that Hugo even begins to resemble Walther.

Eckbert rushes away, and finds himself in the landscape Berthe described in her childhood tale. His thoughts still on Walther, he thinks that even a passing peasant looks just like Walther. He hears the bird singing, and finally comes to the secluded hut where the old woman of Berthe’s story lives.

The old woman reveals that she, Walther and Hugo are the same person. And she tells Eckbert that Berthe was his sister, who had been given away in early childhood by their father. ‘Why have I always suspected this dreadful thought?,’ cries Eckbert. ‘You once heard your father mention it when you were a child.’ Eckbert falls to the ground, insane and dying.

The bird’s tale is over, and it flies away.