Beauty and the Beast (I)

1810. After losing his fortune at sea, a ruined merchant is forced to retire to the countryside with his six children. Among them is Belle, his youngest daughter, who is full of joy and grace. On an arduous journey, the Merchant discovers the magical realm of the Beast, who sentences him to death for stealing a rose. Belle, who blames herself for her family's terrible misfortune, decides to sacrifice her life in place of her father's. However, it isn't death that awaits Belle in the Beast's castle, but rather a peculiar life of magic, joy and melancholy. Each evening, Belle joins the Beast for dinner. They gradually come to know and trust each other, like two strangers that everything conspires to keep apart. Even as Belle fights off his advances, she tries to unravel the riddles of the Beast and his domain. At night, fragments of the Beast's past come to her in dreams. From the tragic story they tell, she learns that this wild and solitary creature was once a handsome prince. Armed with only her courage and her open heart, Belle triumphs over danger. She succeeds in releasing the Beast from the evil spell, and discovers true love.