On a late-summer's day, the narrator doesn't see the Princess so he thinks she's inside, but he's proven wrong when she whispers, "I'm over here." As it turns out, she's hiding in the bushes with the pets, calling it her "secret hidey-hole". She then reveals that she needs a roof, because she wants to be secret but grown-ups can see into the "hidey-hole".
She asks the Admiral how to make a roof, but he suggests wearing a hat, so she asks the Prime Minister instead. He just tells her they're "tricky", but then gets an idea when she sees him combing his three hairs. She ties a tree branch down so that it covers the hole, and comes back into it. By then, she has set up her tea set and is so satisfied she wants to live in the "hidey-hole".
The Princess retrieves a torch, but when she comes back, leaves have fallen onto the ground. She asks the Maid to borrow a brush, then brushes away the leaves, but more fall onto the ground. The Princess asks the Maid what's going on, and she replies that autumn is on its way. The Princess is none too pleased at the idea of autumn, and at the idea of waiting until next year to build another hidey-hole, but the Maid tells her that the seasons need to change.
The Princess tells the King and Queen that she wants to stop autumn due to disliking it, but the King says it's impossible. The Princess points out that, since he's never tried, how does he know?
Later, the Princess sulks outside, and when the narrator asks what's wrong. She says that more leaves are turning yellow, and when he points out that autumn is coming, the Princess says defiantly, "It's not coming here!". She and Puss paint the leaves green, because the Princess notes that green leaves don't fall, but of course, the painted leaves fall anyway.
She grumpily goes to the King and Queen to demand sticky-tape, but they don't have any, and just point out that she has green paint on her clothes and face. The Princess demands the sticky-tape from the Gardener, and he asks what it's for. When she replies that she wants to stop autumn, he chuckles and says that one needs to "let nature do its thing". The Princess replies, "I want it to do my thing", so he gives her the tape. The Princess tapes the leaves in place, but a gust of wind blows them away, so she screams.
She then goes to the Prime Minister for advice, so he suggests borrowing some cabbage leaves from the Chef. She tapes those in place, then goes to bed.
The next morning, it's very windy and the leaves blow away. The Princess admits defeat, then asks what the point of leaves are if they're not on the plants. Scruff then jumps into a leaf pile, prompting the Princess to do the same, and she declares she likes autumn after all.
This episode provides examples of
- Accessory-Wearing Cartoon Animal: Puss wears a beret when he's helping the princess paint the leaves.
- Artsy Beret: Zigzagged. Puss wears a beret while painting, but he's painting for practical, rather than artistic, reasons.
- Cock-a-Doodle Dawn: A rooster can be heard crowing in the morning.
- Painting the Frost on Windows: The Princess tries to invoke this trope by attempting to stop autumn, but it doesn't work.
- Tempting Fate:
- The Princess tries to declare that no more leaves will fall, but one falls before she's even finished her sentence.
- When the Princess tapes the leaves in place, she says, "There; no more autumn", but then the wind blows the leaves away.
