Elena lives in the poor Russian countryside. Her father is dead and her brothers have been forced into the Tsar's army. Her mother is dying, and there is no food. But then a train arrives carrying untold wealth, a cornucopia of food, and a noble family; a family that includes Ekaterina, a girl of Elena's age. When the two girls meet, an adventure is set in motion that includes mistaken identity, a monk locked in a tower, a prince traveling incognito, and Baba Yaga, the witch of Russian folklore.