A great mystery shrouds the castle in the Brothers Grimm's classic fairytale, The Twelve Dancing Princesses. Every night the king locks his twelve daughters securely in their chamber, but come morning, their shoes are in tatters and it's clear they have been up to more than just sleeping in the night! At his daughters' refusal to explain, the king issues a proclamation inviting all the princes from realms far and near to come and unravel the princesses' secret. The prize for solving the mystery of the tattered shoes? The winner may take the princess of his choice in marriage and half the kingdom. But every prince who comes to test his wits against the clever princesses fails in his quest and is put to death. One day, a simple soldier appears on the castle steps and begs permission to take up the challenge and win the hand of a princess. The king allows it, but this soldier is different from all who have come before him in more than just rank.