The setting is a small fishing village. The former seaman Longren (Ivan Pereverzev) raises his daughter Assol (Lena Cheremshanova/Anastasiya Vertinskaya)[6] alone after losing his beloved wife, making a meager living by selling the toy boats he carves from wood. As a child, Assol encounters an old man (Nikolay Volkov) who claims to be a wizard and promises the girl that one day a prince will come on a ship with scarlet sails to carry her away. The villagers scoff but Assol believes her dream will come true one day.