The splendor and intrigue of the 13th century are seen through the eyes of the Venetian Marco Polo, who arrives with his father and uncle on a trip to the Far East.
Freed by renegade Saracens, Marco Polo survives plague in Persia and an avalanche in Tibet to arrive at a Mongol camp in northern China.
Marco's friendship with the Khan's son grows amid ministerial jealousies and plans for war with Japan.
Marco is appointed as an emissary to southern China, and falls in love with an orphaned Westerner.