In the midst of a war between Venice and Genoa, Marco Polo, a citizen of Venice, is imprisoned by the inquisition and is charged with heresy.The Genoans, whose real interest is seizing control over Venice's lucrative trade routes, use Polo as a pawn and under cover of the inquisition, extract from him a confession that will convince the pope to declare a papal interdiction on Venice.The Venetians call for the French army to assist them in destroying Genoa's plot. Polo agrees and begins to dictate his story as Rosticello writes and occasionally embellishes with his own fantasies...