A very young knight watches his older brother argue with his father over the son's desire to go to the crucades with Richard Lionheart. The arguement is quite nasty and the family is split. The next day the young knight's brother is killed in a small, meaningless battle. The young knight is crushed by it and feeling that his family is also not welcoming, he runs away. Wandering through midieval France, he ends up in Paris where he finds a large contingent of orphans who are being hunted by slave dealers. He decides that their safety will be assured if he can get them to King Richard. He moves them in a large group toward the last known location of Richard, persued by the slave dealers.

Inspired loosely on an event that took place in 1212 called "The Children's Crusade", when a French boy tried to lead a large group of children to the Holy Land. However, most either died on the way or were sold into slavery when they reached North Africa on the way to Jerusalem. Similar events are said to have occurred at the same time around Germany.