The story of Maharana Pratap starts from the narrator ramanbhai who narrates the epic of Maharana Pratap and initiates the history of Mewar kingdom. When Vallabhi (gujrat) was attacked by the Maan Mori in a battle attempt, Rawal Mahendra-II died and his queen Pushpawati somehow escaped from that attack and went to Nagda area (near Udaipur). Later she died, giving her child to a Brahmin family. The son of the queen Pushpawati grew young and was popularly known as Bappa Rawal (Kalbhoj). One day Bappa Rawal met Maharshi Harti Rashi (a sage) and by the profound blessings of the sage Harit Rashi, Bappa established the Great kingdom of Mewar. Narrator Kaviraj Shyamaldas proceeds further in the story as- Rana Ratan Singh's wife queen Padmini, who was an iconic paramount of beauty in historical times, faced bad consequences due to Allauddin Khilji intrigue and deception of forceful control over Chittorgarh as well as over queen Padmini. At the end the conflict between Padmini and Allauddhin Khilji led the last queen Padmini to sacrifice herself for the self-respect and honour of the dynasty by jumping alive in the heap of fire inside the palace at fort Chittor (the activity is popularly known as 'Saka/'Jauhar').
Estranged from her family for nine years, feisty, independent Heere (Parminder Nagra) is living with her white, music journalist, fiancé, Jack (Danny Dyer). When her father, Sharma (Om Puri), falls into a coma, her older sisters, Pria (Rita Wolf) and Rina (Amita Dhiri), get back in touch.
The film stays close to the play, with Hamlet's dead father wanting Hamlet to punish the people responsible for his death. Hamlet, unwilling to believe his mother's involvement is in a quandary and pretends to be insane. He has a play staged denouncing his mother and uncle. Gertrude drinks the poison intended for Hamlet, Hamlet kills his step-father and succumbs to the wounds received.
In the 19th century, a Grande Dame (Jeanne Moreau) summons The Brothers Grimm to her palace, where the brothers discuss their interpretation of the Cinderella story and notice a painting displayed in the room. The Grande Dame shows the brothers a glass slipper and tells them the story of Danielle de Barbarac, the true story of Cinderella. In 16th-century France, widower Auguste de Barbarac (Jeroen Krabbé), father of eight-year-old Danielle, marries Rodmilla de Ghent (Anjelica Huston), a wealthy baroness with two young daughters, Maguerite and Jacqueline, but he dies of a heart attack shortly afterwards. Before dying, Auguste's last words are directed to Danielle, which causes the Baroness to envy Danielle and treat her miserably for the next ten years. While Marguerite (Megan Dodds) is hostile and cruel to Danielle, Jacqueline (Melanie Lynskey) is kinder and more respectful to her, though she often stays out of the crossfires to keep the peace.