In the 14th century, young Alienor refuses the fate of young women to follow her heart's desire. At the risk of her life, she succeeds in curing the King of France, who has been suffering from a fistula. In return, she asks her sovereign to wed her to Bertrand de Roussillon, whom she has loved since childhood, convinced she is more deserving of him than anyone else. But Bertrand refuses to consummate their union and flees to the wars in Tuscany. The headstrong Alienor follows him to Italy and disguises herself as another woman, a young Italian whom Bertrand desires ardently.