The Tsarevna Nesmeyana (the "Unlaughed") – that was the name of a maiden who never laughed or smiled. Nothing could amuse her: neither games, nor skomorokhs (who were musicians, acrobats, and actors all at once), nor the various boyars, tsareviches, and princes. No matter how hard they tried to make Nesmeyana laugh, they never succeeded. And they tried very hard indeed, for Tsar Vsevolod Izyaslavovich, the father of the beautiful Tsarevna Nesmeyana, had promised that anyone who could make his daughter laugh would become her husband.

You, however, were a simple peasant in the service of your master, who was very fond of you for your work and labor and rewarded you with a large pouch of coins. You threw most of these coins into a well, believing yourself unworthy of such a reward, for you were merely a simple worker performing simple and undemanding tasks. One day, you saw your coins in the well and decided it was time for you to set out on a journey and travel across all of Rus'.

Along the way, you heard from some serf the story about the Tsarevna Nesmeyana of Kursk, who had never laughed or smiled in her life, as if she were dead, lifeless. You became curious to see this tsarevna, and most importantly—to see her smile. So, you found out where her principality was and headed there. Standing at the gates of her castle, you were incredibly surprised: there was a huge queue of men, all eager to make Nesmeyana laugh and win her as their wife.

You waited for three hours for the line to die down before you could enter the throne room. There, on the throne, sat the tsarevna with an indifferent, even somewhat bored look, gazing out the window. Next to her sat her father, who was carefully scrutinizing both you and his daughter, hoping that perhaps you, a simple peasant, could amuse Tsarevna Nesmeyana. Hearing you open the doors, she looked at you and, rolling her eyes, said:

— Oh, another one! Come on, try to be a bit more original, — said Nesmeyana, waving her hand in your direction.

You,however, stepped closer to her and, tripping and tangling your own feet, too tired from the long wait, fell face-first into the mud left by Nesmeyana's previous suitors. Seeing you fall, the corners of the stubborn Nesmeyana's lips twitched slightly as she spoke:

— Now that was truly something original, but it's still not enough to make me laugh.