The fairy tale-play based on which the film was made was written by Georgi Polonsky in 1984 based on the fairy tale "The Rose and the Ring" by William Thackeray.
The story takes place in the fictional kingdom of Abidonia, where the royal family anxiously awaits the arrival of prince Penapju - the groom-to-be of the king's daughter, princess Albina. Meanwhile, the queen's ward, mute poet Patrik, is madly in love with Albina, but the princess just enjoys taunting him. While on his way to Abidonia Penapju's carriage is attacked by brigands, who rob the prince and live him blindfolded in the carriage that is sped down the road that ends in a cliff. Penapju is rescued by the wandering actors, Jacques and Martha. Jacques was born in Abidonia, but had to flee because of the cruelty of chancellor Daville, the man who holds the real power in Abidonia. Penapju asks Jacques and Martha to help him reach the royal palace in Abidonia, promising them reward for his rescue. As the trio arrives in the capital, they are promptly arrested, since Daville's laws are very strict towards wandering actors. As Penapju claims that he's a prince and that the royal family waits for him, the king Theodor is informed, and decides to question the prisoners personally. Despite Penapju's naivety, he succeeds in persuading the king that he really is who he claims to be; but Theodor cares much more about Milord, a priceless horse that was stolen from Penapju by the brigands. The place where the brigands attacked is actually well-known, since at that very place the previous king of Abidonia, king Henry, was murdered together with his queen many years ago. As Theodor alerts everyone to the arrival of their long-awaited guest, the chancellor (who suffers from an allergy and sneezes constantly) and his wife let him know that Patrik is secretly composing revolutionary songs that are sang by rebellious students in Abidonia. The king doesn't seem to care, claiming that there are more important things. Unknown to Penapju, his friends are sent to jail, because in their wagon the royal guards discover puppets made years ago by Jacques's father (who had been exiled together with other artists to Tibia Isle and died there). One of the puppets represents the current king in his former position as a cavalry colonel. The other is a parody of chancellor Daville. The king secretly orders one of the maids, Marsella, to destroy the puppets, but she disobeys the order. Together with Patrik (whom she secretly loves) Marsella hides the chest holding the puppets, and finds within it a dried rose of strange blue colour. Later on Penapju is received by the royal family, who are slightly appalled by his behaviour. The young prince is naive, open-hearted, and shows no interest in his bride-to-be. He asks about his friends, the actors, and is stunned to learn that they "had left without saying good-bye". Meanwhile, Patrik suffers, seeing Albina flirt with Penapju. Mocking him, Albina starts reciting one of the love poems that Patrik had written for her on his birthday. Unknown to anyone, the blue rose that had blossomed under Marsella's care starts affecting people who sense its smell, making them unable to lie. Marsella yells at the princess, claiming that Albina just toys with Patrik, like a cat toying with a mouse. Then Patrik himself suddenly overcomes his muteness, finishing the poem that Albina recites with a new ending, bitter and accusing. The old secrets that had been buried for decades are revealed one by one. Patrik is not just the queen's ward - he is her nephew, the son of late king Henry. Henry's death was part of the coup planned by Daville, which resulted in Theodor getting the crown, and Daville becoming the most powerful man in Abidonia. Learning the truth about Jacques and Martha being jailed, Penapju and Patrik free them. Meanwhile Daville, seemingly the only man who is not affected by the "truth scent" of the blue rose, tries to convince Theodor to act and protect their secrets, but the king can neither make others shut up, nor keep silence himself. The royal guards refuse to obey Daville's orders, saying that they're sick to death of being afraid of the chancellor. Daville's desperate attempt to poison Patrik and the colonel of the guards fails because his agent, also affected by the magic of the rose, calmly reveals the orders that he received to the victims before they drink the poisoned wine. Daville tries to scare everyone, describing to them the consequences of everyone telling the truth, keeping no secrets, but Patrik and his newly found friends just laugh. As Daville demands to know what is the reason of everyone becoming so sincere, Marsella shows him the rose, and wonders why doesn't it work on Daville. Realizing the importance of the rose, Daville tries to shoot it from his pistol, and mortally wounds Marsella who holds the rose tight to her chest. Having lost everything, Daville drinks the poison that he tried to use against Patrik, and dies. Penapju tries to find a doctor to help Marsella, but the royal doctor had just left Abidonia, so no one can save her. Marsella's last request is for Patrik to sing for her now, the only moment when she can listen to him. As Patrik sings, the rose turns red from Marsella's blood.
