The Brothers Grimm are invited to an audience with the Grand Dame, who expresses her disappointment in their version of Cinderella. She produces a jeweled slipper and recounts Cinderella's true story.
During the French Renaissance, ten years after the death of Auguste de Barbarac, his teenage daughter, Danielle, has been forced to become a servant to her stepmother, the Baroness Rodmilla de Ghent, and to her stepsisters, Marguerite and Jacqueline, the latter of the two being the only one kind to her. One morning, Danielle has an unexpected confrontation with Prince Henry as he is attempting to flee in order to avoid an arranged marriage, at first mistaking him for a thief. Henry gives Danielle some gold coins to keep their interlude secret and rides away. He is eventually caught by the Royal Guard after stopping bandits from robbing Leonardo da Vinci, whom King Francis, his father, has invited to the French court.
Danielle, going disguised as a noblewoman, takes the gold coins to the palace to buy back a family servant, Maurice, who was sold by Rodmilla. Henry witnesses her arguing with the jailer and, impressed by Danielle's passion and her intelligence, orders the jailer to release Maurice. When Henry asks for her name, Danielle, afraid, hastily lies and gives her mother's name: Countess Nicole de Lancret. Later that night, King Francis strikes a deal with Henry: he will hold a masquerade ball at which Henry will announce his engagement to the woman of his choosing, or else marry the Princess of Spain. Hearing this news, Rodmilla accelerates her efforts at getting Henry to notice Marguerite, while being increasingly neglectful to Jacqueline. Meanwhile, Danielle begins secretly spending time with Henry. After an outing at the library of the Francian monks, a gang of gypsies ambushes them, but they offer to help them when Danielle bids the leader and attempts to carry Henry away. At the gypsy camp, they share their first kiss.
The next morning, Rodmilla and Marguerite plan to take an exquisite gown and jeweled slippers, which had been Danielle's mother's wedding gown, for Marguerite to wear at the ball. When Marguerite insults Danielle's mother's memory, Danielle retaliates by attacking her and chasing her throughout the manor. Marguerite retaliates by destroying the copy of Utopia that Auguste had given to Danielle as a young child. After Rodmilla has Danielle whipped, Jacqueline treats her wounds, expressing sympathy for Danielle and criticizing Marguerite for her cruelty.
Queen Marie holds a luncheon with Marguerite and Rodmilla and expresses curiosity about the mysterious girl who has taken Henry's fancies. Rodmilla, recognizing the name of Danielle's mother, deduces that the girl is Danielle and lies that Henry's sweetheart is already engaged.
Danielle tries to tell Henry the truth, but cannot bring herself to do so when he tells her she has changed him as a man, inspiring him to build a university. Rodmilla confronts Danielle about her deception and the whereabouts of her mother's dress and slippers, which have vanished, then locks her in the pantry. Da Vinci helps Danielle escape; and the other servants, who are loyal to Danielle, reveal they had hidden the dress and slippers. Danielle arrives at the ball determined to tell Henry the truth; but Rodmilla exposes her before she can. Furious at her dishonesty, Henry rejects her. Danielle tearfully runs away, leaving a jeweled slipper behind. Da Vinci reproaches Henry for his callousness towards Danielle and leaves him the slipper.
Henry agrees to marry the Spanish Princess Gabriella, but realizing that she is miserable as she loves someone else, he decides to call it off. Maurice and Jacqueline tell Henry that Rodmilla sold Danielle to the lecherous Pierre Le Pieu. Henry rides off to rescue her, only to find that she has freed herself. Henry apologizes, professes his love for her, and proposes marriage by fitting the slipper onto her foot; Danielle happily accepts.
Rodmilla is summoned before the royal court and confronted for lying to the Queen about Danielle; she is stripped of her title and threatened with exile along with Marguerite unless someone speaks for her. Danielle, now a princess, appears and instead asks that Rodmilla be shown the same "courtesy" her stepmother had shown her. Rodmilla and Marguerite are reduced to servants in the palace laundry; Jacqueline, for her kindness to Danielle, is spared from punishment. Leonardo gifts the royal newlyweds with a portrait of Danielle.
The Leonardo da Vinci portrait, Head of a Woman (c. 1508), is portrayed in the film as a depiction of DanielleThe Grande Dame tells the Brothers Grimm that her great-great grandmother's portrait hung in Henry's university until the French Revolution. She concludes by telling them while Danielle and Henry did live happily ever after, the point is that they lived.
