The Celtic princess NIAM wants to become a priestess of the lake of Hallstatt, when she meets CAI an Irish salesman of swords who wants to convice her father the king Eachan to let him marry NIam. But will he convince the godess of the lake, the druid and also Niam herselve of his love?

SYNOPSIS:

NIAM, the beautiful daughter of the Celtic king EACHAN lives in the little Celtic town of Hallstatt at the lakeside in Austria. She bathes her feet everyday in the water of the lake of hallstadt and washes her hair in it. One day CAI watches her, a salesman who is exchanging swords to salt and comes to the lakeside of Hallstatt, because his horse wants to drink water. He falls in love with Niam immediately and follows her with his horse. Reaching the house of her father he promises him gold and gems, if he may marry Niam.

The king Eachan laughs. Then he tells Cai, if he brings enough gold ,and honor in war and if the druid MORCAN agrees, he can be his son in law.

Princess Niam is not amused. She wants to become priestess of the lake and does not want to marry a stranger. She searches the help of the druid Morcan. The druid tells Niam to pray to the goddess for a sign on Samhain in autumn. If the godess accepts her as a priestess, then he will talk with her father the king Eachan to let her go.

Also LAGAN, a dear friend of the king, wants his daughter Niam as his wife. He is a warrior of baron Tad in Ireland and buys the swords of king Eachan, which Cai had exchanged in salt.

Princess Niam prepares with her friends RIGANA and ENIT for the big ritual festivities. They go to the woods and search for the track of the stags collects herbs, and dance in secret rituals to the honor of the goddess.

Cai exchanges salt with the swords. He rides with his horse through the wood and sees princess Niam. He knees down in love before her and bags her not to become priestess, but to marry him. He will give her everything what she wishes, if she comes with him to Ireland.

"When gold is melting on my tongue, I will become Your wife",she tells him, laughs and disappears with her girlfriends in the deep woods.

Her father the king Eachan is angry about Niam´s wish to become a priestess and about Cai wanting to take her with him, but Eachan is glad she did not follow Cai. Even her mother does not understand her.

The fairy queen asks a human sacrifice of the druid and Niam to show their respect. The last harvest has been bad and the people of the village believe that only the human sacrifice will bring back the fertility of their fields. The king decides that Cai has to be the sacrified human, so no one of his people has to loose his live. Cai is caught by the men of the king and brought to the lake side. Niam shall bring the sacrifice to the fairy over the lake.

Cai is crying and begging for his live. Niam cares about him and helps him to escape from the boat. She cuts the strings of his boundaries and Cai promises to come back to take her with him ti Ireland. Niam presents herselve as a sacrifice to the godess. But the godess refuses her sacrifice.

The fairy queen CLIONA meets Niam at the lake and tells her that the heart of Cai belongs to her and she shall obey her feelings. The goddess does not want a stolen heart but a honest one. Niam wants to call Cliona, but she disappears in the mists of the lake and Niam is alone with her questions.

Cliona the fairy queen stands in the boat which drives through the mists to a from the bay unseen island in the middle of the lake. She meets the druid and discusses the changes in the human world with him. Cliona agrees to take salt as a sacrifice instead of a human one. The king Eachan is angry becuase salt has the worth of gold and humans are not worthy to him.

Cai rides to his homeland Ireland. Er fights in a battle for his king against the warrior Lagan and gets gold and gems for his bravery. Lagan dies in this battle and Cai has to promise him, that he will make Niam happy.

Cai takes the dangerous journey from Ireland over the alps back to princess Niam in Hallstatt. Beside some robberies he can bring the gold and gems and swords over the alps secretly kept in his shoes.

It is Samhain, the New Years festivity of the Celts. Applewoodfires are burned and pumpkins are baked. Niam dresses for a dance for the goddess for which she has trained the whole summer. They have to present the goddess in the lake a big sacrifice.

Her girlfriends Rigana and Enid are also there. Her Father drinks a lot of Met and is angry because his beautiful daughter has not brought him gold and listens to the words of the druid Morca. The druid is waiting for the sign of the goddess, which will lead to a decision if the godess accepts salt, or wishes a human as a sacrifies.

It is a beautiful blue evening at the lake of Hallstatt and the Moon sickle stands silver shimmering above the water.Cai drives with a boat over the lake and brings with him the golden shields and jewels, which shall convince the father of Niam of his marriage proposal. A stag with mighty antlers stands at the lakeside, as Cai docks at the bay, the stag does not run away.

Cai bounds the stag and leads him to the dancing place of the Samhain festival. Cai thinks the stag is the death Lagan, who wants to help him to win Niam and keep his promise.

When Cai appears with the stag, the astonishment is big. He has put all his gold at the back of the stag. Cai knees before Niam and lays a heart of salt into her hands, which was ritually consecrated in his homeland.

Niam looks at him amazed. Then she is looking at the druid who nods his head, this was the sign of the goddess. She wll accept the salt and no human will be sacrified again.

Niam is taking the salt heart out of Cai´s hands. Then she tells him that she loves him. "Gold is melting on Your tongue", Cai tells her. She accepts to marry Cai and kisses him. They falls into each other´s arms. Then they move the gold on the stag before the table of her father.

Rigana is riding on the back of the stag to the lakeside and sacrifieces the salt heart into the water of the lake. She will become the priestess of the goddess and will be educated by the druid Morcan. The king Eachan, Niam´s father, is very happy. Everyone is drinking Met and having a party in Hallstatt.

Next day Enid finds a Lyra at the lakeside. When she pulls one string of it, out of the fog a never before seen island appears. She takes a boat and rows on to it. The voice of Cliona, the fairy queen sounds out of the mist with a beautiful song. She will make Enid to her priestess of the lake.