Tolpatsch is a good-natured boy who always tells the truth and has immense powers. He fishes a sword out of the lake and sets off on an adventure. After a battle with an evil fairy, Tolpatsch and his companion, a cheerful raven, arrive at the castle where a princess lives. She is not allowed to see the sun, moon or stars until she is sixteen and lives in an artificial world. Tolpatsch answers three questions about the ugliness of this world with the truth. The princess is redeemed and the two become a happy couple.