At Belye Nochi, an apple orchard on the bank of the Columbia River in Washington State, 12-year-old Meredith Whitson anticipates a surprise she has planned for her family. She has written a play based on one of her mother’s fairy tales and will perform it at tomorrow’s Christmas party. Meredith is sure this play will break through her mother’s coldness, finally forcing her mother to pay attention to her.

The next day, Meredith begins the performance, telling the story of a peasant girl named Vera. Vera lives in the Snow Kingdom, but evil has taken over the land. The Black Knight wants to destroy everything, sending black carriages into the streets to arrest disobedient villagers. Meredith and Nina step onstage, and their mother, Anya Whitson, watches them.

Suddenly, Meredith hears a loud crash and sees her mother’s hand bleeding from a broken cocktail glass. Anya angrily demands her daughters to stop, and the guests leave the party in uncomfortable silence. Nina suggests they apologize to their mother, but Meredith knows it won’t make a difference, vowing never to listen to her mother’s fairy tales again.