This is a classic tale of a young princess and a miner boy who outwit a colony of scheming goblins in an exciting adventure set in a maze of underground caverns. When Princess Irene discovers a secret staircase at the top of the castle, she enters a world so mysterious she doesn't know whether to believe it is real. For hidden in the highest tower, is a beautiful old lady who lives among the pigeons, spinning magic thread beside a fire made of roses. But when strange cat-like creatures are found prowling the palace gardens, and Curdie the miner boy encounters a band of embittered goblins plotting revenge on the royal household, the princess must place her trust in the old lady if they are to save the palace from destruction.