A Brief Synopsis

The story begins wth a boy sick in bed (Fred Savage) and the boy’s grandfather (Peter Falk) who comes to read The Princess Bride to him. The plot of the movie occurs as a story within a story, revealing the events of the Wesley and Buttercup’s lives as the book is read. And occasionally, the story is humorously interrupted by comments from the grandson and grandfather.

A beautiful young woman named Buttercup (Robin Wright) lives on a farm in the fictional country of Florin. Her only joys in life are to ride her horse and to torture the farm hand, Westley (Cary Elwes), into performing chores for her. Westley, when subjected to this, only answers "As you wish". But as time passes, Buttercup discovers that “As you wish” really means “I love you,” and she realizes she loves him back. Their time together is cut short however, as Westley soon leaves to seek his fortune out at sea so that they can marry; but Buttercup later receives word that his ship was attacked by the Dread Pirate Roberts, who leaves no victims alive. Five years later, believing that Westley is dead, Buttercup is reluctantly engaged to Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon), heir to the throne of Florin.

Before the wedding, however, while Buttercup is out riding her horse, she is kidnapped by a trio of outlaws: the Sicilian criminal genius Vizzini (Wallace Shawn), the Spanish fencing master Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin), and the gigantic Turkish wrestler Fezzik (André the Giant). They are pursued by two parties: one consists of Prince Humperdinck and a number of soldiers, and the other, a single masked man in black.

The story continues as this masked man pursues the three kidnapers and Buttercup, having humorous duels with each as he goes. After retrieving the princess and having a brief argument, it is finally revealed to Buttercup that this man is Wesley, her love. As the story progresses, Wesley must endure numerous trials throughout the movie, surviving the Fire Swamp, Dying from the Machine in the Pit of Despair (although it’s later revealed that he is only “mostly dead”), and becoming temporarily paralyzed from his “death” to name a few.

            After bluffing his way out of a final battle with Humperdinck, Westley along with Buttercup, Indigo, and Fezik escape the castle of Florin. And the story concludes with the couple performing what is considered to be the most passionate kiss in the history of man. The grandfather then closes the book and begins to walk out of the grandson’s room. As he does, the grandson asks if he could come back tomorrow and read the story to him again; and the grandfather turns and looks at him saying, “As you wish.”