A penniless poet in ancient Baghdad finds his life on the line after a case of mistaken identity. It proves to be only the first in a series of strange twists of fate, but he uses his cunning to stay ahead of his enemies and rise to a position of power. Musical fantasy, starring Howard Keel and Ann Blyth. Featuring songs based on music by Borodin, including Stranger in Paradise and Baubles, Bangles and Beads.

A silver-tongued poet and self-proclaimed "King of the Beggars" searches old Baghdad for a rich bachelor to marry his dreamy daughter, Marsinah. Along the way, he poses as the renowned sorcerer Hajj and gets in and out of scrapes with an elderly thief, a dim-witted wazir, and his wife. Meanwhile, his daughter develops feelings for a handsome caliph.