For seven years, Hans has been working hard for a wealthy spice dealer. Now he wants to return home to the seaside. He receives his wages in the form of a large lump of gold and sets off cheerfully for home. Along the way, he meets Elisabeth, daughter of a merchant, who is helping her father deliver a cartload of goods. He tells her unabashedly about the heavy load he is carrying, leaving the young girl behind in astonishment and disbelief. But it’s a long journey on foot, the sun is hot, and when Hans meets a man with a horse, he happily trades his gold for the animal. The horse becomes a cow, the cow a pig, and so on, until Hans, freed of all his burdens, feels like the luckiest man under the sun. When he finally arrives at the sea, he is greeted by the finest of surprises.