The story is about the kindness will be winner and the cruelness will be defeated.

Once upon a time in a village in Japan, an old woodcutter known as Mosaku hired a young man to help him with his work. The young man was named Minokichi, and every day the two men walked together into the forest to cut down trees and carry the wood back to the village.

The forest was on the other side of a wide river, and the only way across the river was by ferryboat. One cold evening in the heart of winter, the woodcutters were coming out of the forest when a snowstorm struck. By the time they reached the river, they could barely see through the blowing snow. They saw that the ferryman had stayed on the far side of the river, so there was no way home.

"It's too cold to swim across," Mosaku said, "so tonight we will take shelter in the ferryman's hut."

The hut was flimsy, and wind shrieked through the slats. There was no stove for warmth. They closed the door tightly behind them, bundled up in their coats, lay down and covered themselves with a layer of straw to try to stay warm.