The action takes place in the country of Berendey in mythical times. The end of winter comes - the goblin hides in the hollow. Spring arrives on the Red Hill near Berendeev Posad, the capital of Tsar Berendey, and birds return with it: cranes, swans - the retinue of Spring. The country of Berendey meets the Spring with cold, and all because of Spring's flirting with Frost, the old grandfather, Spring itself is recognized. Their daughter was born - Snegurochka. Spring is afraid to quarrel with Frost for the sake of his daughter and is forced to endure everything. The "jealous" Sun itself is angry. Therefore, Spring calls all the birds to warm themselves with dancing, as people themselves do in the cold. But only the fun begins - the choirs of birds and their dances - as a blizzard rises. Spring hides the birds in the bushes until the new morning and promises to warm them. Meanwhile, Frost comes out of the forest and reminds Spring that they have a common child. Each of the parents takes care of the Snow Maiden in her own way. Frost wants to hide her in the forest, so that she lives among the obedient animals in the forest tower. Spring wants a different future for her daughter: for her to live among people, among cheerful friends and children, playing and dancing until midnight. Peace meeting goes into spop. Frost knows that the sun god of the Berendey, the hot Yarilo, vowed to destroy the Snow Maiden. As soon as the fire of love is lit in her heart, he will melt her. Spring does not believe. After a quarrel, Frost offers to give their daughter to a childless Bobyl in a settlement, there the guys are unlikely to pay attention to their Snow Maiden. Spring agrees.

Frost calls the Snow Maiden out of the forest and asks if she wants to live with people. Snegurochka admits that she has long been longing for girls' songs and round dances, that she likes the songs of a young shepherd Lel. This is especially frightening to his father, and he instructs Snegurochka more than anything else to beware of Lelya, in whom the “scorching rays” of the Sun live. Parting with her daughter, Frost entrusts the care of her to his "forest planks". And finally, gives way to Spring. Festivities begin - seeing off Maslenitsa. Berendey songs greet the coming of Spring.

Bobyl went into the woods for firewood and sees the Snow Maiden dressed as a hawthorn. She wanted to stay with Bobyl with Bobylikha's adopted daughter.

It is not easy for the Snow Maiden to live with Bobyl with Bobylikha: the said parents are angry that she, with her excessive bashfulness and modesty, convinced all the grooms and they are not able to get rich with the help of a profitable marriage of the adopted daughter.

Loby comes to the Boblins because they are alone for the money raised by other families and are ready to let him into the house. The rest are afraid that their wives and daughters will not resist the charm of Lel. The snow maiden does not understand Lel’s requests for a kiss for a song, about a flower gift. She is surprised to pick a flower and give it to Lelu, but he, having sung a song and seeing other girls calling him, throws the already withered flower of the Snow Maiden and runs away to new amusements. Many girls quarrel with guys who are inattentive to them because of the fascination with the beauty of the Snow Maiden. Only Kupava, the daughter of a wealthy Slobodian Murash, is affectionate to Snegurochka. She informs her of her happiness: a rich shopping guest from the royal posad of Mizgir got on her. Here Mizgir himself appears with two bags of gifts - a ransom for the bride for girls and guys. Kupava, along with Mizgir, approaches the Snow Maiden, who is spinning in front of the house, and calls her for the last time to make girl's round dances. But when he saw the Snow Maiden, Mizgir passionately fell in love with her and rejected Kupava. He orders to carry his treasury to the house of Bobyl. The Snow Maiden resists these changes, not wanting evil Kupava, but the bribed Bobyl and Bobylikh make the Snow Maiden even drive Lely away, which Mizgir demands. Shocked Kupava asks Mizgir about the reasons for his betrayal and hears in response that the Snow Maiden won his heart with her modesty and bashfulness, and Kupava’s courage now seems to be a foretaste of future betrayal. The insulted Kupava asks for protection from the Berendey and sends the curse to Mizgiru. She wants to drown, but Lel stops her, and she falls into his arms without feeling.

In the chambers of Tsar Berendey there is a conversation between him and his entourage Bermaty about the troubles in the kingdom: for fifteen years Yarilo has no mercy on Berendey, winters are getting colder, springs are getting colder, and in some places snow also falls in summer. Berendey is convinced that Yarilo is angry with the Berendey for cooling their hearts, for "a cold of feelings." To quench the wrath of the Sun, Berendey decides to appease him with a sacrifice: on Yarilin the day after tomorrow, tie as many grooms and brides as possible by marriage. However, Bermyata reports that due to some kind of Snow Maiden who appeared in the settlement, all the girls quarreled with the guys and it was impossible to find grooms and brides for marriage. Then Kupava, thrown by Mizgir, runs in and cries to the king all his grief. The king orders to find Mizgir and convene the Berendey for trial. They bring Mizgir, and Berendey asks Bermyat how to punish him for betraying the bride. Bermyat suggests making Mizgir marry Kupava. But Mizgir boldly objects that his bride is the Snow Maiden. Kupava also does not want to marry a traitor. The Berendey have no death penalty, and Mizgir is sentenced to exile. Misgir only asks the king himself to look at the Snow Maiden. Seeing the Snow Maiden who came with Bobyl and Bobylikha, the king is amazed by her beauty and tenderness, he wants to find a worthy husband for her: such a “victim” will surely beat Yarila. The Snow Maiden admits that her heart does not know love. The king seeks advice from his wife. Elena the Beautiful says that the only one who can melt the heart of the Snow Maiden is Lel. Lel calls Snegurochka to make wreaths before the morning sun and promises that by morning love will wake up in her heart. But Mizgir also does not want to concede Snegurochka to an opponent and asks permission to enter the fight for the heart of Snegurochka. Berendey allows and is confident that at the dawn of the Berendey, they will gladly meet the Sun, which will accept their atoning “sacrifice”. The people glorify the wisdom of their king Berendey.

At evening dawn, girls and boys begin to dance in a circle, in the center - a Snow Maiden with Lele, Miszir appears and disappears in the forest. Delighted with the singing of Lel, the king invites him to choose a girl who will award him with a kiss. The snow maiden wants Lel to choose her, but Lel chooses Kupava. Other girls reconcile with their darlings, forgiving them of former treason. Lel searches for Kupava, who has gone home with her father, and meets the crying Snow Maiden, but he doesn’t feel sorry for her “jealous tears,” caused not by love, but by envy of Kupava. He tells her about secret lovemaking, which is more valuable than a public kiss, and only for true love he is ready to lead her to meet the Sun in the morning. Lel recalls how he cried when the Snow Maiden had not responded to his love before, and went to the guys, leaving the Snow Maiden to wait. And yet, in the heart of the Snow Maiden, it’s not love that lives, but only pride in the fact that it will lead Lel to meet Yarila.

But here Mizgir finds the Snow Maiden, he pours out his soul to her, full of burning, real male passion. He, who never prayed for love among girls, falls to her knees in front of her. But the Snow Maiden is afraid of his passion, the threats of revenge for humiliation are also terrible. She rejects the priceless pearls with which Misgir tries to buy her love, and says that she will exchange her love for Lel's love. Then Mizgir wants to get the Snow Maiden by force. She calls Lelia, but “plowshares” come to her aid, whom Father Frost instructed to protect her daughter. They take Mizgir to the forest, beckoning him with the ghost of the Snow Maiden, in the forest he wanders all night, hoping to overtake the Snow Maiden-ghost.

Meanwhile, even the heart of the king’s wife melted Lel’s songs. But the shepherd deftly dodges both from Elena the Beautiful, leaving her in the care of Bermyata, and from the Snow Maiden, from whom he runs away, seeing the Kupava. It was such reckless and ardent love that his heart was waiting for, and he advises the Snow Maiden to “eavesdrop” on the hot Cupids of speech in order to learn how to love. The snow maiden in last hope runs to her mother Spring and asks her to teach a real feeling. On the last day, when Spring can fulfill her daughter’s request, as tomorrow comes Yarilo and Leto’s rights, Spring, rising from the lake’s water, reminds Snegurochka of her father’s warning. But the Snow Maiden is ready to give her life in an instant of true love. Mother puts a magic wreath of flowers and herbs on her and promises that she will fall in love with the first young man she meets. The Snow Maiden meets Mizgir and responds to his passion. The immensely happy Mizgir does not believe in danger and considers the Snow Maiden's desire to hide from the rays of Yarila an empty fear. He solemnly leads the bride to Yarilina Gora, where all the Berendeis have gathered. At the first rays of the sun, the Snow Maiden melts, blessing the love that brings her death. It seems to Mizgir that Snegurochka deceived him, that the gods laughed at him, and in desperation he rushes into the lake with Yarilina mountains. “Snow Maidens, the sad death and terrible death of Mizgir cannot disturb us,” the king says, and all the Berendey hope that Yarila’s anger will now go out, that he will give Berendey strength, yield, life.