The evil sorcerer Rothbart (Jack Palance) is planning to take King William's (Dakin Matthews) kingdom for himself by mastering a type of Black magic known as The Forbidden Arts. Before he can strike, Rothbart is arrested. Despite calls for his death, King William spares Rothbart's life and banishes him. A hateful Rothbart swears to King William that he will one day get his power back and take everything William owns and loves. King William and Queen Uberta (Sandy Duncan) make their children, Odette and Derek, meet every summer, hoping that they will fall in love and marry, uniting their two kingdoms. When they meet for the first time, the royal children take an immediate dislike for each other, but as the years pass they somehow reformed themselves and gradually falls in love.