King Grizzle Beard endures mockery at a royal feast when a princess cruelly compares his unkempt beard to "an old mop." This rejection follows her dismissal of many other suitors. Angered by his daughter's behavior, her father decrees she must marry the next man to approach the castle. A traveling musician arrives soon after, and the king enforces the marriage over the princess's protests. Unbeknownst to her, the musician is King Grizzle Beard in disguise. He takes her to live in a small, dilapidated cottage where she struggles with menial tasks like cooking, cleaning, and basket-weaving. During their journey, they pass through forests, meadows, and a grand city, all of which the disguised king reveals as his own domains. The princess repeatedly expresses regret for not marrying him when offered the chance. To further teach her humility, King Grizzle Beard (still disguised) sets her up as a pot-seller in the marketplace. Her initial success ends abruptly when a drunken soldier on horseback destroys her entire stock. The musician chastises her for poor business placement and secures her a position as a kitchen maid in King Grizzle Beard's own castle. There, she performs menial labor and survives on kitchen scraps. During a royal wedding celebration at the castle, King Grizzle Beard, now undisguised, confronts the princess-turned-servant. He forces her to dance, causing hidden jars of food scraps to spill publicly and humiliate her. As she flees, he stops her and reveals his dual identity: he is both the musician she married and the soldier who ruined her pots. He explains his actions were motivated by love and a desire to cure her arrogance. Deeply remorseful, the princess acknowledges her transformed character. King Grizzle Beard then declares the lesson complete, leading to their formal wedding celebration attended by her father. Throughout this process, King Grizzle Beard demonstrates patience and a commitment to the princess's moral growth. His elaborate plan, involving multiple disguises and staged hardships, aims to instill humility and compassion without causing genuine harm.