Kingsbury is rich, handsome, and popular. He truly has it all...or so he thinks. One day, Kendra, a strange and ugly girl, appears in one of his classes and challenges his 'royal' status. Kyle takes this opportunity to bully her, inviting her to the upcoming dance to which he already has a date to embarrass her. At the dance, Kendra reveals herself to be a beautiful witch and punishes him for his cruelty by condemning him to live as a beast. However, because of his one act of kindness (he gave a rose to the girl who was working the ticket booth) she gives him two years to find somebody who can love him for who he is, not what he looks like...and when he does, the girl must prove her love with a kiss. She gives to him a mirror with which he can see whomever he'd like, then vanishes. Kyle's shallow father, a famous news reporter, is ashamed of his son's new appearance. He purchases Kyle his own apartment where he proceeds to live with their housekeeper, Magda. His father also sends Kyle a blind tutor, Will. The two later become friends. Will and Magda suggest that he takes up gardening, and Kyle builds a greenhouse where he plants many roses that become dear to him. After one year has gone by, he decides to change his name from 'Kyle', which means handsome, to 'Adrian', which means 'the dark one'. When he is about to lose all hope of ever returning to his human form, a drug addict stumbles upon his rose garden. Angered, Adrian hollowly threatens to drop him out the window. Desperate for his life, the cruel man offers his daughter - Lindy - to take his place. They make a deal and Adrian prepares Lindy a room filled with books and new clothing. Despite his efforts, Lindy (who is the girl that had been working the ticket booth at the dance) is still very upset that she is to be forced to live in the house, calling Adrian 'Kidnapper' and 'Jailer'. Hearing her call him this Adrian gets upset. After several days of solitude, Lindy finally comes out of her bedroom in the middle of the night and bumps into Adrian. The two share a bag of popcorn, watch a movie, and things begin to change. They begin studying together under Will's supervision, and spending more time with each other. Adrian makes a deal with Kendra that if he is able to get Lindy to kiss him before the last is up, she will also return Will's sight to him and allow Magda to go home to her family.