Three fairies visit the parents of a newborn boy and give them a red ball of string which they say will give him a happy life. They also speed up his growth and tell the parents that he will grow by "hours, not days". The boy's grandfather comes to visit and tries to give the boy working tools for later in life, but the gifts are refused by the parents and fairies, who tell him that the boy is already promised happiness and will have no need to work. They magically turn the grandfather into a sheet of paper and send him off to his apartment. The grandfather, not liking the idea of his grandson having ready-made happiness, breaks out of his magical cage and decides to seek help.