Stardust: The Gift Edition recap

Tristran Thorn leaves the village of Wall to retrieve a fallen star for Victoria Forester, only to discover that the star is a living woman named Yvaine. She is also hunted by the witch-queen, who wants her heart to restore her youth, and by the princes of Stormhold, who need the topaz that knocked her from the sky. During their journey Tristran grows capable and compassionate, and his uneasy bond with Yvaine becomes love. The witch's power is spent, the rival princes die, and Tristran returns to Wall without compelling Victoria to honor her bargain. His enslaved mother, Una, is revealed as Stormhold's princess, making him the realm's surviving heir. Tristran and Yvaine marry, travel, and eventually rule Stormhold. Tristran dies after a long life; the immortal Yvaine remains as queen, keeping watch beneath the stars.

The English village of Wall stands beside a guarded opening in a stone barrier separating the ordinary world from Faerie. At a market held beyond the wall once every nine years, young Dunstan Thorn meets a beautiful enslaved woman and receives a glass snowdrop from her. Nine months later, a baby named Tristran is delivered to him at the gap. Eighteen years pass. Tristran grows up in Wall and becomes infatuated with Victoria Forester. When they see a star fall on the far side of the wall, Victoria says she will grant him what he desires if he brings it to her. Tristran makes the promise in earnest. Dunstan then explains that Tristran was born beyond the wall and gives him the glass flower. The guards, who would stop any other villager, allow him to enter Faerie and begin his search.

Tristran enters Faerie to retrieve the star he promised Victoria. Elsewhere, the dying Lord of Stormhold throws the topaz of his office into the heavens and declares that whichever surviving son recovers it will inherit his realm. The jewel strikes the star, bringing her to earth. The princes Primus and Septimus begin separate searches, while the ghosts of their murdered brothers follow the contest. Three ancient witches also sense the fall. Their eldest sister restores her youth with the remains of another star's heart and sets out to take the new star's heart. A helpful little hairy man feeds Tristran, guides him, and gives him a magical candle. By lighting it and concentrating on his destination, Tristran reaches the fallen star almost instantly. He finds not a stone but an injured woman named Yvaine, with the topaz at her waist. Still bound by his rash promise, he chains her and starts the journey back to Wall.

Tristran leads the furious, injured Yvaine toward Wall, still intending to present her to Victoria. He leaves her tied to a tree while he seeks food, but a unicorn finds and frees her. The unicorn carries Yvaine away toward an inn, while Tristran follows after helping a bird caught in a trap. An enchanted tree speaks on the bird's behalf, warns him that the star is being hunted, and helps him find the right road. Meanwhile the princes continue destroying one another in the contest for Stormhold: Septimus reduces the number of rivals, while Primus follows the topaz. The rejuvenated witch-queen uses magic to create an inviting roadside inn designed as a trap for Yvaine. Her power is immense but finite, and every major spell begins to consume the youth she recovered. The separate pursuits now converge on the inn, with Yvaine unaware that both her heart and the jewel she carries have made her a target.

Yvaine reaches the witch-queen's enchanted inn with the unicorn. Primus arrives as well and is killed, but Tristran reaches Yvaine in time to escape with her by using the last of the magical candle. They land high in the clouds and are rescued by Captain Johannes Alberic's flying ship, whose crew harvests lightning. During their passage Tristran learns practical skills, receives new clothes, and begins to seem less like the naive youth who crossed the wall. He and Yvaine also come to trust one another, though neither plainly acknowledges the affection growing between them. The captain arranges a safe landing and conceals details of their journey. Septimus, now the last of Stormhold's seven princes, learns that the witch killed Primus and turns his attention toward avenging his brother as well as finding the topaz. The witch-queen, diminished by the magic she has spent, continues to pursue Yvaine.

Near Wall, the remaining hunters meet their ends. Septimus attempts to defeat the witch-queen but is killed, joining his brothers as a ghost. The witch has exhausted much of her restored youth and power. When she finally confronts Yvaine, Yvaine explains that her heart already belongs to Tristran; the witch leaves without taking it. Tristran and Yvaine reach Wall, where he learns that a star crossing into the ordinary world would become a lifeless piece of stone. He goes through the gap alone to settle his bargain with Victoria. She admits she has agreed to marry Robert Monday. Tristran releases her from her promise and asks only that she marry the man she truly wants. Returning to Yvaine, he finally understands that their love is mutual. Una is freed from the witch who enslaved her and reveals herself as Tristran's mother and the daughter of the late Lord of Stormhold. With all the princes dead, Tristran is Stormhold's heir, and Yvaine holds the topaz that confirms his claim.

Tristran and Yvaine marry but do not immediately settle into court life. They spend years traveling through the many lands of Faerie before returning to Stormhold, where Tristran accepts the throne and Yvaine rules beside him. His experience beyond Wall and his concern for others make him a well-regarded ruler. The ordinary lives left behind also reach peaceful conclusions, including Victoria's marriage to Robert Monday. Tristran remains mortal despite his Faerie heritage. After a long life and reign, he grows old and dies. Yvaine does not age as he does, and she succeeds him as sole ruler of Stormhold. She cannot resume her old place in the heavens: a star whose heart has been given away is bound to where that love remains. She continues to govern and, at night, looks up at the other stars from the tower.

Tristran returns to Wall with Yvaine but does not force Victoria to keep her bargain. Victoria admits that she is engaged to Robert Monday, and Tristran releases her from her promise on the condition that she marry the man she loves. He finally recognizes that he and Yvaine love one another. Una, freed from slavery, reveals that she is Tristran's mother and the daughter of the late Lord of Stormhold. Because all seven princes are dead and Yvaine carries the topaz, Tristran is the rightful heir. He and Yvaine are married and eventually rule Stormhold together. They travel widely before assuming the throne, and Tristran becomes a respected ruler. He ages and dies after a long reign, while Yvaine, as a star, does not age. She continues to rule alone and looks to the night sky, unable to return to it because her heart remains with Tristran.