The film is set in 11th century England. King Edward the Confessor (Eduard Franz) wants the Saxon Lord Leofric, Earl of Mercia (George Nader), who rules Coventry, to marry a Normans woman, Yolanda. When he refuses, he is sentenced to jail, where he meets Godiva (Maureen O'Hara), the sheriff's sister. The two fall in love and soon they are wed. The times are turbulent and Godiva proves a militant bride; unhistorically, unrest between the Anglo-Saxons populace and the increasingly influential Norman French led to her famous ride.