Shortly after her birth, Ella (Anne Hathaway) is granted the "gift" of obedience by a fairy named Lucinda (Vivica A. Fox). She is forced to obey every order she is given. Several years later, Ella's mother dies and she is left with her father who, in need of money, remarries a wealthy socialite. His greedy, expedient new wife and her two spoiled daughters Hattie and Olive treat Ella poorly and when they find out about her gift they start using her and try to make her life a misery and ruin it.  Ella cannot bear to live under the obedience spell any longer and sets out to find Lucinda in hopes of her removing the spell.