A great lord consults several wise men about the future of his newborn daughter Talia. They predict she will be put in danger from a splinter of flax. To protect his daughter, the father commands that no flax be brought into his house. Years later, Talia sees an old woman spinning flax on a spindle. She asks if she may try it. As soon as she begins to spin, a splinter of flax goes under her fingernail. She drops to the ground, and appears dead. Her father puts Talia in one of his country houses and abandons her.