Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper.In an unnamed kingdom, a blonde princess and a brunette pauper are born simultaneously. The princess, Anneliese, craves freedom from her royal duties, especially when she is informed by her widowed mother, Queen Genevieve, that she must marry the wealthy king of a nearby kingdom because their royal treasury is nearly bankrupt. The pauper, Erika, craves a different sort of freedom as she is an indentured servant at Madame Carp's Dress Emporium to work off her parents' debt, but dreams of becoming a singer ("Free"). Unbeknownst to the royal family, the royal advisor Preminger has been having his minions Nick and Nack steal gold from the royal mines for some time. Preminger plans to announce his newfound wealth to Queen Genevieve, which he believes will allow him to marry Princess Anneliese. When Preminger learns that Queen Genevieve has approached King Dominick of Dulcimia to marry Anneliese, Preminger orders Nick and Nack to kidnap Anneliese, so that Preminger can stage his "rescuing" her, hoping that Queen Genevieve will give him Anneliese's hand in marriage ("How Can I Refuse?"). Anneliese and her tutor, Julian, are in love with one another, though they are unaware of the other's feelings. To cheer her up, Julian decides to take Anneliese into town. The princess crosses paths with Erika ("Written In Your Heart") and the girls are shocked to see how identical they are, the only differences between them being their hair colour and the crown-shaped birthmark on Anneliese's right shoulder. The girls become friends ("I Am A Girl Like You")...