Akim is a boy who has a rare gift of communicating with spirits. He finds himself at odds with the physical world where power reigns and duty has the final say in matters of love. His conflict with the material world explodes when he falls in love with the king's daughter, a girl named Matima. Interests of power clash and the two lovers flee the kingdom to find a legendary city where they will be free to love without restraint. Their quest takes them into a mystical landscape where the border between the physical world and the one of imagination can barely be distinguished. When they are separated by a band of gypsy women, Akim faces a terrible ordeal which he has to conquer on his own.