a synopsis

We first meet Tattercoats as an older woman. She is flying her kite. She tells us what happened to her when she was young.

She skips, singing a skipping-song about there being no-one there. She introduces her Grandfather, who sits at the top of a tower lamenting the death of his daughter - Tattercoats's mother. Tattercoats's Grandfather ignores her. She is bullied by the cooks who chase her out of the castle.

The old nurse tries to comfort her. She brings her a small bundle of food. Tattercoats's clothes are ragged - which gives her her name. Soon the food is finished and she is hungry. She finds berries, nuts and acorns to eat. She shares them with the birds and the animals.

Suddenly something comes whistling down from the sky that frightens her. A boy is there. He shows her the kite that he's been flying - and which she thought was a spirit of the sky - and introduces himself as the Bird-Scarer.

Tattercoats is so excited by flying the kite that she runs to the castle to try to persuade her Grandfather to have a go but he takes no notice.

Then a ship arrives with an invitation to a Royal Ball where the Prince will chose a bride. Tattercoats begs to be allowed to go with her Grandfather but he, having trimmed his beard and smartened himself up, leaves without her. The cooks drive Tattercoats back out of the castle. When the nurse intervenes they drive her out too.

The Bird-Scarer knows why she's unhappy and he tells her to hold on tight so that he can fly them both over the sea using his kite. They take off, they skim the sea, they arrive over dry land and they come crashing to the earth.

A young man in a golden cloak asks Tattercoats who she is. He is intrigued by her story of having flown there by a kite. When the kite-music is heard, Tattercoats can't help but dance. The young man is captivated and insists that she be his partner at the Royal Ball. And that she comes dressed exactly as she is - bare-footed and covered in rags.

When she arrives at the Palace at midnight she discovers that the young man is in fact the Prince. He introduces her to his father, the King, who is not impressed. But the Prince insists that this is the girl who will share is life and he asks her to teach him to dance. Which she does. When he asks he to marry him she says that he is a Prince and has other duties. He says that the most important thing is to travel with her and to learn to fly a kite. She says that he must hold on very tight.

Her Grandfather still won't be reconciled and he travels back to the tower in his castle. But Tattercoats tells us that she never went back and that she has continued to fly her kite.