Belle wants more out of life than the small provincial town of Villeneuve can offer. There she stands out from the crowd with her unique point of view, her strong-willed independence, and her love of books. She longs for travel and adventure, for a life as exciting as the stories she reads. But when Belle's beloved father is taken prisoner by a beast in an enchanted castle, her path is forever changed. Risking her freedom and her future, she takes her father's place, secretly vowing to escape. But as she learns more about the Beast and his mysterious castle, Belle realizes there may be more to his story--and her own--than she ever could have imagined.