Once upon a time, a feisty old grandfather told his bedridden grandson a tongue-in-cheek fairy tale… In the mythical kingdom of Florin, farm boy Westley (Cary Elwes) rides off one day to make his fortune, leaving his true love, Buttercup (Robin Wright Penn), waiting patiently behind. Unfortunately, his ship is beset by pirates, and Buttercup grieves for many years, believing Westley dead. She reluctantly agrees to marry Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon), knowing that she will never love him. Humperdinck has his own plans for the marriage, however–he intends to have Buttercup kidnapped and murdered in order to set off a border war that will strengthen his power. But she is eventually rescued by a mysterious pirate, who turns out to be Westley in disguise. Their reunion does not last long, though, and the pair must face numerous obstacles before they can live happily ever after.