The Prince and the Pauper tells the story of two young boys who are identical in appearance: Tom Canty, a pauper who lives with his abusive father in Offal Court off Pudding Lane in London, and Prince Edward, son of King Henry VIII. The prince wants to see something of real life, and the pauper longs to escape from the cruelty of his world. Through a quirk of fate, each boy is given the chance to glimpse the world through the other's eyes.