Barbie stars as Genevieve, one of twelve princesses who live in a castle with their widowed father, King Randolph. The princesses have adventurous and free-spirited natures that are viewed as "unladylike" and "non-proper" by other members of the royal society. This leads King Randolph to summon his cousin, Duchess Rowena, to the castle to help raise the princesses. Unbeknownst to King Randolph, Rowena plans to poison him and get rid of his daughters so that she can become queen. Attempting to break the princesses' spirits, Rowena makes their lives miserable by stripping the castle of everything they love, making them wear grey dresses and banishing singing and dancing.