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When Stanley's great-great-grandfather, Elya Yelnats, was fifteen years old, he fell in love with a girl, Myra Menke. He went to her father to ask him, if he can marry Myra. Unfortunately, Igor Barkow did the same. So the father made a deal with both: who brings him the fattest pig can marry Myra.
Elya went to Mme Zeroni, an old Egyptian women with who he became friends and told her about his love to Myra. Although Mme Zeroni didn't like Myra (she said that Myra's head was as empty as a flowerpot) she helped Elya by giving him a tiny piglet. She told him to carry the pig every day up the mountain and let it drink from the stream and while it is drinking, he should sing a special song to it, which Mme Zeroni taught him. And on Myra's 15th birthday he should carry the pig up the mountain, too. And it'll be bigger than Igor's pig. But Mme Zeroni also asked him to do something for her: he should carry her up the mountain so that she can drink from the stream and Elya should sing the same song to her - like he did it with the pig. When Elya don't so what Mme Zeroni demanded, he and his descendants will be doomed for all of eternity. Elya did how he was told, but on the last day he didn't want to carry the pig up the mountain, because he didn't wanted to smell like a pig.
Then he took the pig to Myra's father, who weighed both pigs. Unfortunately, both had the same weigh. So the father let Myra decide, but she didn't know how to decide, so the wanted to play a game with them - who wins can marry her. But Elya gave up hope and left the house. He wandered aimlessly through the town until he saw a sign which told that deck helps were wanted on a ship. First, Elya worried about Mme Zeroni, who he'd promised to carry her up the mountain before she's dieing. But he accepted the offer and went to America.
In America, Elya learned how to speak English and fell in love with another girl, Sarah. Their life was not easy, both were working very hard but the curse seemed to follow Elya everywhere. After their barn was struck by lightening for the third time, Elya told Sarah about the broken promise to Mme Zeroni. When their child was born, Sarah changed the words of the pig lullaby so that they rhymed and every night, she sang it to their child, Stanley.
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