Once upon a time, there lived a rich merchant whose greatest treasure was his only daughter, Catherine.
One day, a tall, beautiful woman holding a small wheel appeared before Catherine. "Which would you rather have," she asked, "a happy youth or a happy old age?" After a moment's thought, Catherine chose a happy old age. "So be it," said the woman, who was Catherine's Destiny, and vanished.
Soon after, the merchant lost all his wealth and died, leaving Catherine penniless. She became a servant, but wherever she went, her Destiny would appear, wreaking havoc and forcing her to flee. This pattern continued for seven years.
Finally, Catherine found a kind mistress. Part of her duty was to take bread to a mountaintop as an offering to her mistress's Destiny. One day, weeping over her past, Catherine confided in her mistress. The mistress suggested Catherine ask her own Destiny for mercy through this intermediary.
Catherine did so. Her mistress's Destiny relayed the plea to Catherine's own Destiny, who lay buried under seven coverlids. The next day, Catherine was led to her Destiny and received a simple ball of silk.
Disappointed, Catherine kept the silk. Later, the king needed a rare silk to complete his wedding garment. Catherine's silk was a perfect match. At court, the king offered its weight in gold, but the silk outweighed all his treasures, even his crown. Only when the crown was added did the scales balance.
Impressed and moved by her story and beauty, the king married Catherine instead, making her his queen. She lived happily ever after.