Kismet

In old Baghdad, Hafiz moves through the city as the King of Beggars by day and the Prince of Hassir by night. He parades his magic and charisma while keeping his daughter Marsinah sheltered behind high walls. Lady Jamilla, the Queen of the Grand Vizier's harem, watches him with a mix of suspicion and fascination.

The young Caliph disguises himself as the son of the Royal Gardener and roams Baghdad to learn about his people. He falls in love with Marsinah and, meanwhile, encounters Hafiz's Prince of Hassir persona and mocks his tricks, especially the knife-from-handkerchief illusion. The streets of Baghdad become a stage for both romance and danger.

To shield his daughter and fuel fairy-tale dreams, Hafiz has erected tall walls around his house. Marsinah's nurse Karsha senses danger and warns of the futility of the dream, while Marsinah confides in her about a future prince who will tear the walls down. The walls symbolize both protection and isolation.

The Caliph returns to his palace and sets out to propose marriage to Marsinah, unaware of the tangled web Hafiz has woven. His plan increases the stakes for both families and hints at the coming clash of loyalties. The palace corridors hum with political and romantic tension.

An agent of the Grand Vizier tries to kill the Caliph, but is killed by the Vizier when the plot is uncovered. The Caliph grows suspicious of the Vizier, suspecting him behind the attack and potential threat to Marsinah. The streets become a backdrop for courtly intrigue and danger.

Hafiz suspects the Vizier might suit Marsinah's future and infiltrates the Vizier's circle by posing as the Prince of Hassir. Jamilla performs for the Vizier, and Hafiz privately asks her to leave the Vizier and marry him, planning Marsinah's future as the Vizier's wife. The bargain tightens the plot and alliances.

Hafiz is arrested for stealing fancy clothes and is brought before the Vizier, who treats him with amused contempt. The sentence of cutting off his hands looms until a messenger shifts the balance of power and the Caliph's influence arrives. The danger Hafiz faces becomes more immediate and personal.

To secure his life and Marsinah's future, Hafiz bargains with the Vizier and plans to use magic to kill the Caliph. He demonstrates his knife-from-handkerchief trick, signaling his readiness to strike and shaping the double-deal that underpins the plot. The illusion becomes a weapon in the unfolding conspiracy.

Hafiz is arranged to meet the Caliph in a public audience. Caliphate officials reveal that Hafiz may be the man whose hand should seal Marsinah's fate, while Hafiz remains unaware that the Caliph is the gardener's son he once impressed. The moment reframes who is manipulating whom.

During the open-air audience, Hafiz tries to strike the Caliph with the staged knife. The Caliph dodges, the Vizier escapes, and Marsinah's fate looks grim as Hafiz rushes to protect her from the fallout. Chaos erupts as loyalties collide and the plans unravel.

In the ensuing struggle, Hafiz and the Grand Vizier fight amid the palace corridors and the harem. The Vizier is killed, and palace guards swiftly arrest Hafiz, who faces the consequences of his dangerous plan. The palace atmosphere shifts from celebration to crisis.

The Caliph condemns Hafiz to be the Prince of Hassir and exile him from Baghdad at sunset. In a final twist, the Caliph orders the walls around Hafiz's home torn down, uniting Marsinah with the Caliph, while Jamilla sides with Hafiz as they depart Baghdad for Hassir. A new destiny awaits all, as love and power redefine the city.