Young Princess Irene lives a quiet, sheltered life in a great house on the side of a mountain, watched over by her nurse while her father the king is away. But the mountain is hollow, and deep in its tunnels dwell the goblins, a misshapen, spiteful people who shun the sunlight and nurse an old grudge against those above. One rainy day, exploring forgotten staircases, Irene discovers a beautiful, mysterious lady who claims to be her great-great-grandmother, and beneath the mountain a brave young miner named Curdie stumbles on a goblin secret. MacDonald's enchanting 1872 fairy tale stirs to life as danger gathers below.