Die Salzprinzessin (2015)

The widowed King Christoph wants to abdicate and hand the scepter to one of his three beloved daughters. But he is unsure which of the three princesses is the right choice to succeed him: Eugenia, who is power-hungry and loves jewels; Isabella, who is vain and collects shoes; or Amélie, the youngest, who would rather wander through nature. When Princess Amélie is exploring the forest once again, she finds a glittering salt crystal. Then, by a rock, she meets Prince Thabo and his entourage from the distant kingdom of Bokanda. He falls in love with Amélie, but before he can learn her name, she has disappeared into the forest again. The daughter who loves the king most is now to inherit the throne and become as compassionate a queen as their late mother. King Christoph therefore asks his three daughters to describe how much they love him. The two eldest compare their love to the things they love most: gold, silver, and silk. The youngest, Amélie, simply says that she loves him as a daughter can love only her father. Dissatisfied with her answer, the king presses her to explain herself more clearly. She then compares her love to salt. The king grows angry and banishes her from the kingdom because he does not recognize the value of salt. In the years that follow, Amélie travels from place to place dressed as a man, working as a journeyman so that she will not be recognized as a princess. She takes the name Anton and works at an inn for about a year, but later has to flee after falling foul of cardsharps. As Anton, she meets Prince Thabo again in the forest and rides with him for several miles, to a place near her family’s castle. She wants to return to the castle in the hope that the king’s anger has by now subsided and that he will recognize her love. But her father still wants nothing to do with her, so Amélie leaves the castle again. Eventually, she finds shelter with an herbalist who looks very much like her mother and lives in a small hut in the forest. Meanwhile, the kingdom is in decline: salt is running out throughout the land, food is spoiling, and money is becoming scarce. The king is worried about the state finances, since his two remaining daughters are still spending enormous sums on jewelry and clothes. To make matters worse, the portrait of the queen, his late wife, also seems to have disappeared from its frame. In the meantime, Prince Thabo has visited the king, asked about Amélie, and learned of her banishment. He sets out to search for her. The health of the king and the princesses deteriorates because of the salt shortage. The country is suffering. Finally, Amélie returns home, bringing a small sack of salt with her. The spell is broken. She marries Thabo and is crowned queen of the land.