Hansel and Gretel live in desperate poverty. Their father, a humble broom-maker, and their mother, a weary seamstress, earn too little to keep the family from the edge of hunger. When we first meet the children, they are in their modest home, helping with chores and assisting their parents’ work. Though hungry, they still manage to find joy in play—singing, dancing, and laughing together under Gretel’s cheerful lead. 

During a pause in their games, Gretel tells Hansel that their mother received a gift of milk from a kind neighbor. The children are delighted at the thought of what their mother might prepare with it. Their excitement, however, is short-lived. When their mother returns home, she finds them at play instead of working. In her anger, she scolds them—and in the midst of her fury, she accidentally knocks over the precious jug of milk, spilling it onto the floor. Exhausted and exasperated, she sends the children into the forest to gather berries so there will be at least something to eat. 

Left alone, the mother reveals her despair: she fears her children will starve. At that moment, their father stumbles in, a little drunk, but carrying a heavy backpack. To her astonishment, he explains that he tried a new approach in selling his brooms. The gamble paid off—he sold them all and bought enough food to last the family several days. At first, his wife chastises him for drinking, but when he shows her the provisions, both parents rejoice in their unexpected good fortune. 

Their joy quickly turns to dread when the father asks after the children. Upon hearing they have been sent into the forest, his face darkens. He tells his wife of the terrible witch who dwells there, in a house made of sweets. At night, she rides her broom in search of children, luring them back to her candy house where she bakes them into gingerbread to devour. Horrified by the tale, the mother panics. Without hesitation, both parents rush into the forest, desperate to find Hansel and Gretel before it is too late.