As a whimsical adaption of James M. Barrie's stage version of the Cinderella story, this film was not immediately appreciated for the magic created by its cinematography. It has become a classic masterpiece, in the genre of similar films like Peter Pan. The story begins with a very young woman (Betty Bronson) and a ray of light that violates the blackout during a WW I air raid in London. A policeman (Tom Moore) investigates the light, and is beguiled by the young woman and her vivid imagination. In a splendid dream sequence that begins as the woman falls asleep in the snow, this little house maid undergoes a stunning transformation. First she leaves her scullery self behind as she waits for her Fairy Godmother, and then she becomes a glorious Cinderella. She joins the ball of her dreams, where she finds people from her regular life mixed in with the imaginary dancers at the ball. The London bobby's enchantment grows as the story reaches its charming end.