Cenicienta, the only daughter of a wealthy widowed duke in the Emerald Kingdom, inherited her mother Françoise's cherished musical doll, favorite dress, and elaborate glass slippers after Françoise succumbed to illness during Cenicienta's childhood. Hoping to provide a mother figure, her father remarried a widow with two daughters, Catherine and Jeanne. When her father departed on an extended business trip, her stepfamily seized her room, forced her into menial clothing, relocated her to the attic, and burdened her with all household chores. Driven by envy of her grace and beauty, they subjected her to systemic abuse. Despite this mistreatment, Cenicienta maintained a resiliently cheerful, gentle, and optimistic demeanor.

Her kindness extended to all, including her hostile stepfamily, whom she assisted despite their abuse. She harbored dreams of living in a grand castle, owning a horse, and having many friends. Madame Paulette, her fairy godmother and her late mother's friend, secretly intervened to alleviate her hardships. One significant act was granting speech to her dog Patch, two mice named Chuchu and Bingo, and a bird named Pappy. These companions became her closest confidants, providing emotional support and practical help with chores.

A rare outing to town led her to encounter a boy named Charles. Unaware he was Prince Charles of the Emerald Kingdom, she distrustfully nicknamed him "Charles the Fibber" due to his deceptive claims about serving the prince. Repeated accidental meetings and shared adventures—including thwarting bandits and uncovering palace intrigues—transformed their initial misunderstandings into a close friendship. During these experiences, Cenicienta exhibited courage and compassion, such as preventing Charles from hunting for sport. She briefly suspected Charles might be the prince after glimpsing him in the woods but abandoned further inquiry after an incident at the Royal Vineyard.

Their relationship deepened into romance, but faced turmoil when Charles revealed his identity during the foiling of Duke Zaral's coup against the royal family. Heartbroken and guilt-ridden over her earlier accusations of deceit, Cenicienta ended their friendship, believing their social differences rendered marriage impossible. When the king announced a ball for Charles to choose a bride, her stepfamily mocked her attempt to attend in her mother's dress, destroyed her invitation, and excluded her. Madame Paulette then openly revealed herself as her fairy godmother, magically enhancing the dress, providing glass slippers, and creating a carriage, all under the condition that Cenicienta return by midnight.

At the ball, Charles was captivated by her unrecognized beauty but failed to identify her as his former companion. Forced to flee at midnight, Cenicienta lost a glass slipper on the palace stairs. During the subsequent shoe-fitting search, she initially refused to try it on, relenting only after her animal friends disclosed she possessed the matching slipper. Her identity confirmed, she reconciled with Charles and accepted his marriage proposal.

On their wedding day, Duke Zaral poisoned Charles and kidnapped Cenicienta, threatening her life atop the castle's clock tower to extort the kingdom. Charles, having anticipated the plot, intervened unharmed. After a fierce confrontation, Zaral fell to his death. Cenicienta forgave her stepfamily for their past cruelties before marrying Charles. Crowned king and queen, they fulfilled her dreams, affirming her belief that "a marriage without love is like a summer without sunshine."