Once upon a time there was a handsome young prince, who had everything he ever wanted, but who was cruel, vain and lascivious. Then, on a cold and foggy autumn night, an old beggar woman came to his castle and offered a lovely red rose for protection from the bitter cold. The prince, repulsed by her appearance, refused and mocked the old woman, despite her warnings not to be deceived by everything he saw. When the Prince laughed to her warnings, the old woman´s ugliness melted away and revealed her lovely faerie form to the Prince. The Prince begged for her forgiveness, but it was too late: the young prince´s handsome looks rotted away to show a hideous, unclean monster to the whole world. The rose she had offered was really an enchanted rose which would bloom until his 25th birthday; if he could find a true love and earn her love until the last petal fell, the curse would be broken. If not, he would be doomed to be a monster for the rest of his life.
The prince´s servants escaped in terror from the castle. Disgusted by his horrific appearance, the prince covered his face with a mask and fine clothes, but when the years passed, he became desperate and bitter. After all, who could ever love a beast?