The plot is set in motion when a farmer's wife refuses to allow any ducks on the farm to hatch their own eggs. All of the ducks' eggs are hatched by hens. Jemima Puddle-Duck is very upset by this. She decides to secretly lay some eggs far away from the farm. She finds a clearing in a wood where a "gentleman" has a small house and shed. The "gentleman" tells Jemima that she can lay her eggs in the shed. Jemima Puddle-Duck does not realize that the "gentleman' is a fox who plans to eat her. The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck has been adapted for radio, film and television.