Brancaleone thwarts the assassin, Thorz, rescues the baby and resolves to bring him to his father, Bohemond of Taranto, who is fighting in the Crusades.

These include the saving of a young witch, Tiburzia, from the stake, the annexion of a leper to the band, and a meeting with Gregory VII, in which Brancaleone has to solve the dispute between the pope and the antipope Clement III.

Brancaleone obtains the title of baron and is chosen as a champion in a tournament to solve the dispute between the Christians and the Saracens in the siege of Jerusalem.

The award for the winner is the former leper, who is in fact revealed to be a beautiful princess, Berta, who adopted the disguise to travel to the Holy Land in relative safety.

After having nearly defeated all the Moor warriors, Brancaleone is, however, foiled by a spell cast on him by Tiburzia, who, having fallen in love with him, could not stand seeing him married with the princess.