Widower king Klemens wants to resign the throne, but only after his only son Viktor has married. the prince however prefers his carefree life, eagerly but leisurely hunting alone and incognito in the forest, where he meets an impish anonymous girl, who mocks his poor marksmanship and summons him to help catch the pigs escaped from her cart, a muddy semi-failure. Retuning to the castle, he learns the king invited every eligible maiden in the country to a grand ball in his honor, and expects a bride to be picked. The girl, known only as Cinderella, returns to her bleak fate, being exploited as unpaid maid by her stepmother and her own daughter Annabella, who both enjoy treating her worse then the farmhands, among whom Benno likes after her, like the dove associated with her mother’s grave, which produces magical gifts. Due to mean sabotage and broken promises, it takes an extra dose of magic to get Cinderalla to the royal ball, where Viktor enjoys only her company, hence rushes after her with royal assent after she dashes back, having left behind one of her magical slippers.