The Doctor with King Richard

The TARDIS arrives in 12th-century Palestine and where The Doctor and his companions soon realise that they have arrived in the middle of the Holy War between King Richard the Lionheart and the Saracen ruler Saladin.

When The Doctor, Barbara Wright, Ian Chesterton and Vicki emerge from the TARDIS, they find themselves in the middle of a Saracen ambush. In the confusion, Barbara is captured by the Saracens, while the rest of the TARDIS crew manage to stop the attackers from killing William de Tornebu, an associate of King Richard.

The Doctor with Ian and Vicki, takes the wounded de Tornebu back to Richard's court, but first they must steal clothes from a market in order to blend in. This hasty change of clothes means that, when they enter King Richard's palace, Vicki finds herself mistaken for boy.

Leaving the TARDIS

The Doctor, Ian and Vicki are welcomed at King Richard's palace in the nearby city of Jaffa. At first, the King will not help with Barbara's rescue, but he relents and Ian is granted permission to ride off in search of her. Ian is also granted a knighthood - and so becomes ‘Sir Ian of Jaffa’.

The Doctor and Vicki stay behind and try to avoid getting involved in court politics. But this proves to be very difficult especially when they learn of the King's plans to end the war rely on his sister Joanna marrying the Emir. When Joanna eventually finds out about this she refuses point blank to have anything to do with the King's plans.

Barbara Being Watched

With the King's secret plans to make peace with Saladin now discovered The Doctor decides it is time that they departed the palace. This has now become a matter of some urgency now that The Doctor has made himself an enemy of the King's adviser, the Earl of Leicester, who suspects his influence in the King's new-found desire for peace.

Ian however, on his way to Saladin's court, is attacked by bandits and knocked out. When he claims to have no money, one of the bandits, Ibrahim, ties him down with stakes in the hot sun and daubs him with honey. Ibrahim hopes that the ants will loosen Ian’s purse strings. Ian though eventually tricks Ibrahim into untying his feet, and overpowers him. Ian then convinces the bandit to accompany him to Lydda and aid him in his quest to rescue Barbara.

Meanwhile, Barbara manages to escape and is given refuge by Haroun ed-Din. He is sympathetic because El Akir killed his wife and kidnapped his daughter, and now Haroun is looking for revenge. Haroun leaves to attack El Akir, but is knocked out by soldiers who then go to Haroun's house. There they discover Barbara, and bring her to El Akir. El Akir taunts Barbara with threats of death, but she once again manages to escape, this time hiding out in the Emir's harem.

The Doctor and Vicki with Joanna

As El Akir tries to find Barbara, she is hidden by Maimuna, a sympathetic harem girl, who it turns out is Haroun's long lost daughter. Luckily for Barbara when Maimuna finds out her father is still alive, she joyfully agrees to help Barbara escape from the castle. But before they can do so, another harem girl, Fatima, betrays them. El Akir is about to attack Barbara when Haroun arrives in the nick of time and fatally stabs El Akir. Ian then arrives, and he and Haroun subdue the guards. Haroun and Maimuna are reunited, and Barbara and Ian head for the TARDIS.

The four time-travellers all meet up in the wood where the TARDIS materialised. However, the travellers' escape is almost thwarted when a party of English soldiers, led by the Earl of Leicester, seizes The Doctor and accuses him of being a spy. Fortunately, The Doctor manages to regain the safety of the TARDIS by means of a ruse, the soldiers believing that the brave Sir Ian has been spirited away by sorcerers!

Back inside the TARDIS, The Doctor and his companions are relieved to have survived. However, as the TARDIS prepares to materialise, at their next destination, the time travellers are frozen into immobility as the power fails and all the interior lights dim.