Tug of War is inspired by the biblical story of the judgement of Solomon. We have set it in an imaginary land which is very like turn of the century Russia.

Long ago and far away, in a kingdom called Dragonia, a servant girl named Marya becomes engaged to Alexei, a soldier in the army.

The royal soldiers are parading in the square because the King and Queen have a little son who today is six months old. Today, for the first time, the people finally get to see the little prince.

But the King is careless and foolish, the Queen mean and snobby. The ruthless General Vladimir leads a revolution against them. The King is killed. The Queen escapes but she is so busy packing her dresses and matching hats that she forgets her baby, the infant Prince Stani.

General Vladimir wants to kill Stani, the heir to the throne. The only person brave enough to defy Vladimir and protect the baby is Marya. She looks after the boy for three years, risking her life for him several times, and then, suddenly, the revolution is over.

The nasty Queen comes back. She needs Stani to reclaim her former wealth and position. But Marya insists the child is hers. She loves him and he calls her Mama.

Judge Solomon, the oldest man in Dragonia, must decide. Which is the true mother? He suggests the two women have a tug of war, with Stani in the middle. Whoever pulls the hardest will win. Marya won’t even try. Solomon declares that the true mother is Marya. Stani is happy.

Marya and Alexei get married, and now Stani has a father too. Solomon hopes that “We all somehow live reasonably happily ever after.”