The Adventures of Despereaux the Mouse, or rather, the Tale of a Mouse, a Princess, a Bowl of Soup, and a Spool of Thread. A mouse named Despereaux was born into a family of mice living in an ancient royal castle. Unlike his fellow mice, he possessed a brave and noble heart, and loved to read and listen to music. One day, he saw Princess Pea and fell in love with her. And when the wily rats tricked the princess into a dark dungeon, Despereaux, like a knight in shining armor, saved her from certain death.