Once upon a time, in a faraway land, an Enchantress turns a cruel, unfeeling Prince into a hideous Beast. To break the spell, the Beast must learn to love another and earn her love in return before the last petal falls from an enchanted rose. Ten years later, in a small village far below the Beast's castle, a beautiful and intelligent young woman, Belle, yearns for adventure. On the way to show his invention at a fair, Belle's father, Maurice, gets lost and seeks shelter in the Beast's castle. Enchanted servants — Cogsworth, Lumiere, Babette, Mrs. Potts and Chip — try to make Maurice comfortable, but the Beast imprisons the intruder. Meanwhile, back in town, Gaston, the village brute, proposes to Belle, but to the dismay of the Silly Girls, who fawn over him, Belle turns Gaston down. When Belle notices Gaston's sidekick, Lefou, wearing her father's scarf, Belle runs off to search for him. Belle finds her missing father at the castle and offers herself in exchange for his freedom. The Beast agrees, sending Maurice back to the village, and then escorts Belle to her bedroom, where she considers what she has done. Seeing their guest forlorn, Mrs. Potts and Madame de la Grande Bouche comfort Belle.