This ballet is about a young girl -- Clara -- who receives a nutcracker doll from her mysterious uncle Drosselmeyer, but has it broken by her brother in a jealous fit.  After the guests leave, Clara returns to the living room where her mother placed the nutcracker by the Christmas tree and falls asleep with it on the couch.  When the clock strikes 12, Drosselmeyer appears and little mice scurrying about surround him and Clara.  But Drosselmeyer shooes them away, transforming the living room and the nutcracker doll into a prince. Suddenly Clara is the size of wooden toy soldiers and watches in horror as her nutcracker prince battles the rat king.  After the battle, Drosselmeyer transforms the doll into a real person and Clara happily dances with them as the scene changes to snow.  Clara and the Prince watch the snowflakes fall and are whisked away by the snow queen and king to the Prince's Kingdom of Sweets where Clara meets the Sugar Plum Fairy and watches all his subjects perform delicious dances.  This all fades away and Clara wakes up on the couch hugging her nutcracker doll wondering if it was all real or just a dream.