Act I

Scene 1.

The Christmas forest is full of secret life. Parents look for beautiful Christmas trees to make a surprise for their children. The children can’t sit still: they are waiting for the tree to arrive. When they see snow, they’re ready to rush to the street immediately to make merry. Their moms remind them of scarves and hats. The children make a snow man and play snowballs.

Scene 2.

Time to decorate Christmas trees. Both children and grown-ups are getting ready for the party. Yet not all the children are cared about. Little Masha is an orphan. She’s alone in the street. She tries to get warm with a candle. The girl looks into the windows of a house, but everybody is angry: how did she dare to disturb them? They ask her to go away.

Suddenly master Drosselmeyer appears with his mechanic dolls. Naughty boys take one of them and ran away. Drosselmeyer asks Masha to help him and to perform the role of a Ballerina-doll.

Scene 3.

The Christmas tree is shining. Everybody is celebrating, both children and grown-ups make merry. Drosselmeyer presents his new mechanic dolls: Soldier, Harlequin, Ballerina… everybody is interested in the dolls that suddenly come alive. Being worried that his trick could be disclosed, Drosselmeyer invites the guests to another room and shows Masha another doll: the Nutcracker. Masha is impressed. The guests return. The party is over, the guests are leaving.

Scene 4.

Masha and Drosselmeyer stay in the house. Suddenly the clock chimes and the Christmas tree starts growing. The toys come alive. At first it frightens Masha, but Drosselmeyer invites her to have a look at the toys. Suddenly a battle takes place between the army of mice and toy soldiers lead by the Nutcracker. Due to Masha’s brave actions, the mice are defeated. The Nutcracker turns into a beautiful Prince and thanks Masha.

Scene 5.

Drosselmeyer gives Masha and the prince a wonderful bicycle and takes them into the Wonderland. Snowflakes hide any traces.

Act II

Scene 6.

Waves are swaying. Merry dolphins are frisking in the sea. All the inhabitants of the sea — jellyfish, corals, starfish — are waiting for the arrival of Masha, the Prince and Drosselmeyer. The Prince shows Masha the sea kingdom and tells her about his misfortunes, when he was a Nutcracker. But the mice army is still haunting them. The Prince has to fight again.

Scene 7.

Masha, the Prince and Drosselmeyer take part in a wonderful performance. Waltzing elves and butterflies surround the couple.

Scene 8.

Time flies. Drosselmeyer has to return home, he hurries Masha to go with him. She begs for some more time to say goodbye to the Prince.

Scene 9.

Little sleepy town again. The holiday has passed. Nobody cares that the little girl, who was looking into the windows, is lying on the snow. Nobody will ever know which miracles she has seen and where she met her Christmas with the Prince-Nutcracker.