Everybody in the elves village was in a terrible state of worry and confusion, dashing hither and thither. And all because the King of the Elves had lost his crown. They the people who live in the house had been spring-cleaning, and had taken everything out of the china-cupboard where the elves village is. That, said the King, was when the crown was lost. The kitchen is also the home of Fendire, the infra-red dragon; the deep-freeze trolls; the slimy kelpies in the dishwasher; Norn of the broom-cupboard; and the Vacuum Witch in the Utility Desert. All these provide dangerous adventures for Young Prince Coriander, who returns to hunt for the precious crown.