Following the 13th-century death of his nobleman father, Walter of Gurnie (Tyrone Power) and his confidant, Tristram (Jack Hawkins), join a caravan led by the North African Bayan (Orson Welles) en route to China. Along the way, the beautiful Maryam (Cecile Aubry), known as the Black Rose, begs Walter to take her to England with him. When the warlord Bayan reveals his intention to invade and subjugate China's advanced society, the trio attempt their escape back to England.