When Marco Polo is imprisoned in Genoa along with Rusticello da Pisa, an author, Polo relates his fantastic adventures. Rusticello takes notes and asks questions, not about Polo’s time in China, but about his journey as he returns to Venice.
Marco Polo, a favorite of the Mongol emperor, is ready to go home after 23 years in China. The emperor agrees to allow it if he will escort his niece Kokachin to Persia to marry the head of the Persian Ilkhanate, cementing an alliance. Kokachin dutifully agrees, but her rebellious maid Ling begs her to run away. Kokachin refuses, leaving China as her uncle commanded with a diverse entourage of Chinese, Persians, Mongols, and a lesser princess with a bad attitude.
Personality clashes and assassins’ plots lead to one comedic challenge after the other as 14 ships set sail from China toward Persia. Storms separate the ships, pirates hoping for ransom capture the wrong princess, Varangian guards interfere, and Prince Ghazan masquerading as a commoner negotiates an escape to Karnavati. In India they interrupt a wedding and foil an assassination attempt on Princess Kokachin.
Aware they need transportation for the overland leg of their journey to Persia, street urchins lure the separate groups of travelers into Camel K’Arl’s Camel Lot to purchase Bactrian camels known for their endurance. After thwarting several more attempts to derail his mission,
Polo escorts the princesses to the court of the Persian Ilkhanate where they discover the Khan has recently died. Flummoxed, Ling almost persuades them to return to China until the Persian ambassador Alborz reveals he is in fact Ghazan, Prince of Persia. Kokachin is pleased with how things work out, and the wedding takes place as Kublai Khan commanded. Ling is consoled by a Persian ambassador and Marco Polo returns to Venice.
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