The Khan of Dirzhan is a monster. Nigel, the son of the English ambassador to a backward Asian country, is transfixed by stories of the Khan's brutality. It is said that he had his own brother strangled, that he once shot two cabinet ministers to death during a government meeting, and that he will stop at nothing to keep his daughter safe. At first, these are nothing but stories, but when Nigel and the Khan's daughter form an unlikely friendship, the terror of the Khan will become all too real.

Enlisted by the Khan to help beautiful young Taeela with her English, Nigel gets a firsthand look at life in a palace ruled by fear. When the Khan's enemies threaten Taeela, Nigel helps her escape. Together, they flee across a barren countryside where sheer survival is an adventure.