Jack and his mother have only one old cow. Jack trades the cow for a handful of beans and his mother was so angry she threw the beans out the window. Overnight the beans grow into a huge beanstalk. Jack climbs the beanstalk and finds a giant at the top. Jack sees that the giant has a goose that lays golden eggs. Jack grabs the goose and returns to his surprised mother. Jack returns to the top of the beanstalk and barely escapes. He chops down the beanstalk and the giant was never heard from again.
A poor woman lives far from London in a cottage with her 'indolent, careless, and extravagant' son, Jack. The two have little money and are forced to sell their last possession, a cow. Jack leads the animal along the road and meets an old man who trades some magic beans for the cow. Jack's mother is furious when she discovers he has come home with no money, and tosses the beans away. The next morning, Jack finds a beanstalk has grown to the clouds and climbs it... finally reaching a castle, high above the sky!
