Beauty and the Beast

Beauty lives in a big country house with her merchant father, her brother Ludovic, and her two wicked, socially conscious sisters Adelaide and Felice. Because her sisters refuse to to any work, she takes all upon herself and never complains. She loves her brother's reckless, handsome friend Avenant, but won't marry him because she believes her father needs her too much. The Merchant goes to the nearby city on business and discovers that he is bankrupt. He travels home at night in a harried state and gets lost in the forest. He takes refuge in a decaying castle that appears to him when the thick shrubbery suddenly opens up. In the morning, he picks a rose from the garden to take home to Beauty. Suddenly, a hideous humanoid creature, known only as 'Beast', wearing nobleman's clothes steps out. Beast tells the Merchant that this is his castle and his garden, and that Merchant must die for stealing a rose, Beast's most prized possession. The terrified Merchant gets the Beast to allow him to return home to say goodbye to his children. The Beast tells him that he can send one of his daughters to be killed in his place. At home, the Merchant tells his horrible story. Beauty volunteers to take her father's place and returns to the castle. The first time she sees the Beast, she screams and faints. When Beast sees Beauty, he clearly falls in love with her and gives up all thoughts about killing her. As time goes on, Beauty begins to enjoy the Beast's company. But every night when he proposes, she turns him down, as she still loves Avenant. The Beast gives Beauty permission to return home to visit her sickly father. He tells her that if she doesn't return home when she promises, he will die of grief. The show her that he trusts her, he gives her the key to Diana's Pavillion, where he keeps all his earthly treasures. Beauty returns home, When she cries while speaking kindly about the Beast, her tears become diamonds. Excited by the possibility of acquiring great wealth, Beauty's sisters steal her key and give it to Avenant and Ludovic, who ride to Beast's castle. Because she cannot find the key, Beauty returns to the castle after the time she had promised the Beast she'd return. She has discovered that she really loves him, but when she comes upon him he is dying of grief. At the same time, Avenant climbs into Diana's Pavillion. Diana's statue comes to life and shoots him with an arrow. As he dies, Avenant takes on the appearance of the Beast. The Beast dies in Beauty's arms and suddenly comes back to life as prince who looks very much like Avenant. The Beast is no longer cursed, because Beauty has agreed to marry him... and as a result, he has become the handsome Prince he was meant to be. Beauty and the Prince ascend to a heavenly home where they will be joined by the Merchant and Beauty's sisters, who will be her servants for a change.