Mostly fictionalized account of the life of Genghis Khan (Omar Sharif), the Mongol warlord whose thirteenth century armies conquered much of the known world. Named Temujin (Carlo Cura), he was taken prisoner by the rival warlord Jamuga (Stephen Boyd), and as punishment, was forced to wear a large round wooden stock that severely restricted his movements. With the help of two supporters, the wiseman Geen (Sir Michael Hordern) and the strongman Sengal (Woody Strode), he manages to escape. He now begins his quest to unify all of the Mongol tribes. He faces great success, but his old nemesis Jamuga keeps appearing at various times in his life, leading to a final battle between the two.