Ulzii, a teenager from a poor neighborhood in Ulaanbaatar, is determined to win a sciences-physics competition to get a scholarship. His illiterate mother finds a job in the countryside, leaving him and his brother and sister in the middle of winter. Ulzii wanders around at night looking for things to burn for heat while preparing for the national competition.

Snow Maidens become fairies when they grow up. Mongolian Snow Maiden Odmaa was a very confident and proud girl. She entered a competition with Santa Claus's daughter and Russian Snegurochka. The headmistress of the fairy school, the evil Queen from the fairy tale "Tsasangoo", gave them each a task and a magic wand that worked for three days. Santa's daughter was to fulfill the wish of Pinacchio, a wooden doll who wanted to become a human, Snegurochka was to make Cinderella, who was suffering from slavery to her stepmother, happy, and the Mongolian Snow Maiden's task was to make five-year-old Maralmaa a mother.