A Florentine legend tells the story of a blunt and arrogant blacksmith who enlists with the Crusaders in an attempt to rekindle the love his wife once had for him. After seizing Jerusalem, he lights up a candle in the tomb of Christ and bets to a Minstrel that he can carry it to Florence, all by himself. On his way home, he runs into a series of characters that help him to reflect upon the meaning behind the sacred flame and change his life for good.