1892, St Petersburg in the run-up to New Year. Marie, a young ballerina, is accepted into the troupe of the theatre run by the domineering Madame Drosselmeyer, who is preparing a production of *The Nutcracker*. Here, where the glamour of the stage conceals a tense conflict between the world of the ballet elite and that of the backstage workers, she meets the free-spirited Franz.
When the mysterious Mouse King threatens to destroy the production, only Marie and Franz are capable of bridging the gap between the two warring worlds to defend their love and save the theatre.