 Hassan (John Boles), the Kadi of Bagdad, has a harem housing 12 beauties, but concentrates his attention on Zohara (Gypsy Rose Lee). A newcomer, Kyra (Paulette Goddard), introduces rebellion into the by the unheard of act of complaining to the Caliph about the lot of the women in the harem. Hassan suffers a greater shock when his God-son, Ezar (Richard Ney), asserts that women are the equal of men. They make a wager under which Ezar must settle down with a conventional harem unless Zohara can outwit Hassan within ten days.