Princess Rosalinda (Demi Lovato) of the small Spanish-speaking nation of Costa Luna is about to be crowned queen upon reaching maturity. Inexplicably, General Kane, the dictator of a neighboring country (Costa Estrella), is able to massively infiltrate her palace with his agents during her coronation rehearsal, and attempts to assassinate her while effecting a coup d'etat against her regime. Luckily, Joe Mason, an agent of the Princess Protection Program, a secret organization funded by royal families that looks after endangered princesses, is able to whisk her away to safety via helicopter because Gen. Kane’s agents failed to secure her rooftop helipad. They succeeded in capturing her mother, the Queen Sophia, but unfortunately for the general, his coup severely alienated him from the international authorities.