In this picture book adaptation of an East Indian story, 'Nagami' (Jewel of the Snake), Cinduri, neglected by her stepmother and stepsister, is befriended by a magical snake living in the lake from which she fetches drinking water. Godfather Snake helps her win the heart of a Prince who visits their village during the annual Navaratri Festival and he is able to claim her as his bride when she is the only young woman able to wear the anklet lost after her flight from the dance at midnight.