Young Volga Svyatoslavovich longs for much wisdom and strength. He collects a squad of thirty daredevils, and they leave for the open field. They hear in the field a plowman: he whistles, and his plow creaks. They ride one day, another, a third - and cannot get to the plowman in any way. Finally they see a plowman, and he asks Volga where he is going. He replies that the capital Prince Vladimir granted him three cities with peasants and now he goes there for a paycheck. The plowman tells Volga that the men in these cities are robbers, they can kill him and drown him in the river Smorodin. The plowman tells Volga how he was recently in the city, bought salt, and the city men began to demand that he share pennies with them, and then he had to treat them with his fists.

Volga sees that the plowman can come in handy when he has to pay tribute to the townspeople, and invites him to go with him. They sit on horses and ride, but the plowman recalls that he forgot to pull the plow from the ground and throw it behind a cancerous bush. Volga sends five powerful fellows, but they can not cope with the task.Then Volga sends a dozen more fellows, but even those who do not manage to pull the plow from the ground. Finally, the whole Volga squad is trying to pull out the plow. Then a plowman approaches his sokha, takes it with one hand, pulls it out of the ground and throws it behind a cancerous bush. Volga wants to know what the name of the mighty plowman is. He replies that his name is Mikula Selyaninovich.

They come to the city, and city men recognize Mikula, who recently beat them alone. They come to Volga with Mikula and apologize. Volga sees what respect a simple peasant enjoys here, and favors him with three cities with peasants. He offers Mikule to become a viceroy and receive tribute from the peasants.