The story begins with a monk dutifully bringing water from a stream to his temple at the top of a mountain. A tall monk arrives, and when water is needed, he volunteers to fetch water to the delight of the first monk who doesn’t need to do anything. At the next water run, the second monk calls on the first to help. Reluctantly, he does, but the two bicker over how to balance the water bucket on the yoke given their height difference. A third, portly monk arrives at the temple. He selfishly guzzles all the water, but when the water is all gone, nobody is willing to head down the mountain to get water. Each would rather suffer than to do something that would benefit everybody. In the end, a murine arsonist creates a need for water so great that three petty monks are forced to work together.