When the Great Kublai Khan discovers the secret relationship that Marco Polo is fostering with a young Mongolian princess, Marco loses his position of privilege in the court. As a last favor, Marco asks permission to escort the princess to her betrothed, the King of Persia, and Khan concedes. From Canton, the couple crosses the Indian Ocean and survives illnesses, typhoons, and pirates, pained by the knowledge that they must part once they reach Persia.