As punishment for rebuffing a powerful witch, a selfish prince becomes a true ’beast’ until someone will love him for himself.  Many years later, a poor widow stumbles onto the castle and innocently plucks a forbidden rose.  The Beast sentences her to death, but first allows her to return home and bid farewell to her family.  There we meet her two unpleasant daughters, Isabel and Marguerite, and her nasty sons-in-law, Greedo and Graspo.  Her third daughter, Beauty, agrees to go to the castle and stay with the Beast if her mother’s life is spared.  With the aid of an enchanted mirror, Beauty sees that Beast is not really a beast.  Her love restores Beast to his true form and happiness reigns.