ある町に、カイとゲルダという仲の良い幼馴染が住んでいた。二人は兄妹のようにいつも一緒に遊んでいたが、ある日恐ろしい出来事が起きた。悪魔が作った鏡が誤って割れ、その破片が何億という小さな見えないチリとなって世界中に散らばったのである。その欠片の一つが、不幸にもカイの目と心臓に刺さってしまった。それ以来、優しい少年だったカイは、冷酷で残酷な性格に変わり果てるほかなかった。
In a certain town, lived two close childhood friends named Kai and Gerda. They always played together like brother and sister, but one day, a terrifying event occurred. A mirror made by a demon accidentally broke, and its fragments turned into billions of tiny invisible pieces of dust and scattered across the world. Unfortunately, one of those fragments pierced Kai's eyes and heart. From then on, Kai, who had been a gentle boy, had no choice but to change into a cold and cruel personality.
冬がやってきたある日、カイが広場で遊んでいるかと思うと、突然現れた白い大きなそりに乗せられ、どこかへ連れ去られてしまった。そのそりに乗っていたのは、恐ろしい雪の女王であった。誰もがカイは死んだのだと思ったものの、ゲルダだけは「たとえ命を賭けてでも、必ずカイを見つけ出してみせる」と固く決意した。そして春が来ると、彼女はたった一人で長い旅に出たのである。
One day when winter arrived, as Kai was playing in the square, he was suddenly put on a large white sleigh that appeared and was taken away somewhere. On that sleigh sat the terrifying Snow Queen. Although everyone thought Kai was dead, Gerda alone firmly resolved, "Even if I stake my life, I will definitely find Kai." And when spring came, she set out on a long journey all by herself.
ゲルダの旅路は決して平坦なものではなかった。魔法使いのお婆さんに引き留められたり、山賊の娘に捕まったりと、数々の苦難に見舞われたのだ。しかし、彼女のカイを思う純粋な心に打たれ、カラスをはじめとして多くの人間や動物たちが彼女の助けとなってくれた。彼らが教えてくれた情報を頼りに、ゲルダはついに北の果てにある雪の女王の冷たい氷の宮殿へとたどり着くことができたのである。
Gerda's journey was by no means smooth. She met with numerous hardships, such as being held back by a wizardly old woman and being captured by a robber's daughter. However, moved by her pure heart that thought of Kai, many humans and animals, starting with a crow, became her help. Relying on the information they gave her, Gerda was finally able to reach the cold Ice Palace of the Snow Queen located at the northern edge.
宮殿の中では、心まで完全に凍りついたカイが、冷たい氷のパズルを黙々と組み立てていた。ゲルダはカイを見つけるや否や、喜びのあまり泣きながら彼に抱きついた。彼女の温かい涙がカイの胸に落ちると、心臓に刺さっていた悪魔の鏡の欠片が溶けて流れ出した。「ゲルダ、こんな冷たい場所で今まで何をしていたんだい？」カイは正気を取り戻し、二人は再会の喜びに共に涙を流した。
Inside the palace, Kai, whose heart was completely frozen, was silently assembling a cold ice puzzle. As soon as Gerda found Kai, she hugged him while crying with joy. When her warm tears fell on Kai's chest, the devil's mirror fragment that had been stuck in his heart melted and flowed out. "Gerda, what have you been doing in such a cold place until now?" Kai regained his senses, and the two wept together with the joy of reunion.
ようやく雪の女王の呪縛から解放された二人は、氷の宮殿を後にして、故郷へと続く長い道のりを歩き始めた。苦難の末に懐かしい町へ帰り着いた時、彼らは自分たちがすでに立派な大人へと成長しつつあることに気がついた。悪魔の鏡が引き起こした恐ろしい事件は、今となっては遠い昔の夢にすぎない。幼い頃と変わらぬ深い愛情を胸に抱きながら、カイとゲルダはその後も幸せに暮らしたということだ。
Finally released from the Snow Queen's curse, the two left the Ice Palace and began walking the long road back to their hometown. When they reached their dear town after their hardships, they realized that they were already growing into fine adults. The terrifying incident caused by the devil's mirror is now nothing more than a dream of a distant past. While holding a deep affection in their hearts just as in their childhood, Kai and Gerda lived happily ever after.