In this steampunk version of "Cinderella," Nicolette's mother, an inventor, dies and Nicolette is forced to move in with her stepfamily. Her mean stepsisters cruelly call her Mechanica, for her love of inventions. Nicolette secretly makes coal-powered contraptions in the basement, and when the prince of the land announces a Cultural Exposition Gala, Nicolette hopes she will win the prize and perhaps the attention of entrepreneurs who might buy her work.
