The two neighboring kingdoms of Dorimar and Kanselaire are separated by an uncrossable mountain range. Three dwarves are making their way underneath the mountains in order to buy a gift of silk cloth for their queen. To pay for the silk, they’re planning to trade a ruby that they excavated themselves. In Kanselaire, the queen wakes up in preparation for her upcoming wedding, which she is unenthusiastic about. Outside her window, carpenters are preparing seats for people to watch her wedding.

When the dwarves emerge from their tunnel, they come to an inn filled with an aggrieved crowd. The innkeeper asks for the dwarves’ help in escaping beneath the mountains. He explains that a sleeping sickness has come to the land. It began when a bad fairy cursed the princess, and now it is spreading, infecting everyone so that all the people and animals fall asleep. Some brave people have attempted to reach the castle where the princess is asleep, but they die in the forest that surrounds it. The princess is said to be able to wake with a kiss, but the evil fairy is there waiting for anyone who comes close enough.