At a public market a woman trapped in a cage begs to be bought, promising to marry any buyer, work as a slave, cook, and repay so she won't be sent to a brothel. Freddie, a local hunter, unexpectedly agrees to buy her despite sellers and townspeople branding her a cursed widow and warning she'll make a cuckold. The broker names a price of fifty taels and onlookers argue whether a hunter can afford it. After the sale, the woman refuses to be led away, vowing to die rather than return and shouting, "I'll kill you, hag!"