As she rejects suitor after suitor, the recently widowed Mrs. Fox almost despairs of finding a new husband with the same wonderful qualities as the late Mr. Fox. A combined retelling of the Grimms' two versions of this story.

Mrs. Fox is recently widowed. A wolf, a lion, a dog, a billy-goat, a stag, a bear, and finally a fox come calling as suitors. But she will only accept one with a coat of deep red and nine bushy tails (like her dead husband). The next day a fox with two bushy tails arrives, then the next one with three, until finally one with nine busy tails comes calling (one tail neatly braided into nine strands with little tails at the end) and then she is satisfied.