On a magical day in London, two boys are born into two different families, and they just happen to look exactly like one another. One boy, Tom Canty, is poor. The other boy, Prince Edward of Wales, is obviously rich. Fast forward a bit, and Tom is a young boy living in the slums of London. He has an abusive father and grandmother, a kind mother and sisters, and a pretty sad life. But he has a dream: one day, he wants to meet a real-life prince. After dreaming about living in the lap of luxury, Tom makes his way to Westminster Palace one day. When he gets a little too close to the gate, a guard attacks him. Lucky for Tom, this attracts the attention of the prince, who rebukes the guard and lets our little pauper into the palace. It's his dream come true.