Returning from Africa from his daughter's wedding, King Alonso of Naples encounter a violent storm (a tempest) that washes Alonso and his company ashore to Prospero's magical island including a kind counselor named Gonzalo whom years before sneaked provisions to Prospero along with his books of magic before Prospero and Miranda were set adrift.

Prospero's first orders of business on the island was to free the sprites imprisoned by a witch named Sycorax. The chief sprite was Ariel, a spirit of the air. In exchange for his liberation, Ariel agreed to do Prospero's bidding.

Sycorax posed no further threat, for she was dead. But, Sycorax left behind an ugly, half-human son named Caliban. Although Caliban once tried to rape Miranda, Prospero trains him to talk and perform menial chores, using magic to keep the beast's intentions at bay. When King Alonso and his company arrive on the island, the king's son Ferdinand is separated from the others. Alonso thinks his son has drowned, and vice versa, and both mourn their losses.

Prospero sends Ariel to bring Ferdinand to the cave, where Miranda who is fifteen years old and beautiful-is sleeping. Prospero also sends Caliban out to fetch wood. When Ferdinand arrives, Miranda awakens and falls in love with Prince Ferdinand instantly. Ferdinand also falls in love at first sight.

Prospero pretends Ferdinand is a spy and takes him prisoner. Meanwhile, elsewhere on the island, King Alonso and most of his company fall asleep after Ariel sings an enchanted lullyabye. The only two who remain awake is the coniving Antonio, Alonso's brother, and Sebastian who see their chance to kill the king and take Naples for themselves, but in the nick of time, King Alonso and Gonzalo awake.

Meanwhile, Caliban, who is bringing in the wood, curses Prospero, wishing him many curses because Caliban, sees himself as the rightful ruler of the island before Prospero arrived because he was there first.

The king's jester, Trinculo, comes across Caliban and takes shelter with him from a storm. Stephano, the king's butler, also shows up, drunk which adds quite the comedic atmosphere.

Meanwhile, under orders from Prospero, Ferdinand is also out gathering wood. When Miranda goes out to help him, the two lovers forget about the wood and talk of love and marriage. Prospero's plans are all working wonderfully.

Caliban, suddenly convinces Stephano and Trinculo, to help him murder Prospero so that they can all become the rulers of the island.

Ariel, off working on Prospero's behalf, conjures up a magnificent feast for King Alonso, Antonio, Sebastian, Gonzalo and the rest of the king's men. As they are about to eat, lightning flashes, thunder booms, and Ariel appears in the form of a giant bird. He claps his wings and the feast diappears. Then he reminds Alonso, Antonio and Sebastian of their previous mistreatment of Prospero and Miranda.

Ferdinand and Miranda announce their forthcoming marriage and Prospero uses his magic to stop the plots against him while Ariel spellbinds Alonso and the others with music and leads them to Prospero's cave.

Ferdinand and Alonso rejoice at the sight of eachother and then everybody who did wrong doings repents, including Caliban. And finally, Prospero, having regained his dukedom, denounces magic and prepares to return to Naples with Ferdinand, Miranda, Alonso and his entourage after the ship which was thought to be destroyed in the storm is found with nothing wrong with it.

Prospero then commands Ariel to do one last chore before he sets Ariel free and that is to calm the seas.

Caliban is left to remain on the island, which he felt was rightly his island anyway. And they all live happily ever after.