A rocketship lands on the moon and the young astronaut Tonik meets there some heroes from the age of ihe Romantics - Cyrano de Bergerac, Barbican and Captain Nicol from Jules Verne's books, and the Baron Munchhausen. They think Tonik is an inhabitant of the moon and invite him to visit Earth.

They return to the earth of the 18th century, find themselves in a Sultans court and become involved in a series of fantastic adventures. They free a captive princess; they flee and are picked up by a boat which is then swallowed by a mighty fish, and after release are carried off by a fabulous bird; they ride sea-horses, and, fall in love.

In this film Karel Zeman continues with the use of human characters against stylised and animated backgrounds that he so successfully employed in Journey to Primeval Times and the Wonderful World of Jules Verne. He has now extended this unique fantasy form by the addition of colour. In the composition of his shots, the director expresses sly satire, but this plays a minor role in ihe final impact, for the colour movement, style and design, together culminate in a genuine, wonderous Arabian Nights tale.