In the middle of the pasture stands an old oak tree intertwined with a plane tree. Bětka, who grazes sheep, calls it the apple oak. It is her favorite place. It is as if her mother, whom both she and her father miss so much, is watching her from the tree's crown. And it is here that Bětka meets a young prince for whom military glory is the most important thing in the world. Although he likes the shepherdess, he sends her father to prison for his grumbling and aversion to senseless military conquests. He says he will release him when someone defeats him, the prince. Desperate, Bětka seeks solace at the apple oak tree, where she suddenly receives not only a miraculous caress, but also advice. She will be helped by someone whose head is fiery like an autumn tree, half gold and half scarlet...