A fisherman and his wife are very poor, and he is happy. The wife, however, is unhappy, and wishes that he would catch more fish in order to make a better living. While fishing, he catches a talking fish and takes it home to prove to his wife what he had found. The fish does not want to leave and gives the couple three wishes if they let him stay. They fumble around and get mad at the fish, telling him that they wish he would shut up- thus destroying all their hopes of getting rich. Eventually, they end up poor and back to square one.
