The milk jug is broken, and the precious cream has spilled onto the floor. And the stocking knitting and broom binding are far from finished. In her anger, the mother has sent her two children, Hansel and Gretel, into the nearby forest to pick strawberries. At the beginning of the second part of the first act – this is where the music begins in the auditorium – the two children are alone in the springtime forest. The flowers are blooming, the wind is blowing through the pine trees and sweet fruits are plentiful. It's a wonderful way to spend the day. As evening falls, the children have lost their way. To keep them from getting too scared in the eerie forest, the Sandman appears.