There was once a little princess whose father was king over a great country full of mountains and valleys. His palace was built upon one of the mountains, and was very grand and beautiful. The princess, whose name was Irene, was born there, but she was sent soon after her birth, because her mother was not very strong, to be brought up by country people in a large house, half castle, half farmhouse, on the side of another mountain, about half-way between its base and its peak. The Princess and the Goblin is the story of Princess Irene and her friend Curdie, a miner’s son, and their quest to put a stop to a wicked plan set in motion by the goblins who live underground in the mountains surrounding Irene’s palace – these goblins are strange little creatures with toeless feet and an aversion to rhymes, and as Curdie and Irene soon find out, they are Up To No Good.