King John of Portugal continually puts off Christopher Columbus' plans to sail west in an effort to find a new route to India. After 4 years of waiting, however, Columbus discovers that the king has sent out his own men, who report no discovery of land. He goes to Spain, where he is again rebuffed, but the intercession of a former confessor of Queen Isabella results in an audience before the royal court. The queen is in sympathy with Columbus, and she secretly sells her jewels to finance his exploration. He sails with three ships and in October 1492 lands on an island in the West Indies.