Princess Irene has discovered a secret winding stairway in the castle. It leads to a bewildering labyrinth of unknown passages with closed doors – and a further stairway. What lies at the top? Meanwhile, the miner's son Curdie overhears a fiendish plot by the goblins that live below the mountain. But with the help of Irene's magic ring, can they stop the goblins terrifying plans in time?