To win the hand of the caliph of Bagdad’s daughter (played by Julanne Johnston), a thief (Fairbanks) embarks on a dangerous and mystical journey to secure the most desirable treasure imaginable.
　　The film was a popular success, and Fairbanks made women swoon as one of the screen’s first superstars. Known for his dashing demeanour and incredible stunts, Fairbanks, who would also routinely contribute to the scripts of his films under the pseudonym Elton Thomas, actually created the story for this version of The Thief of Bagdad and included types of special effects and production design never previously seen by audiences. The film was remade several times, of which the most notable is the 1940 British film directed by Ludwig Berger, Michael Powell, and Tim Whelan.

　　亚当斯庄园里住着一个典型哥特式家庭。戈梅斯（劳尔·朱力亚 Raul Julia饰）和妻子（安杰丽卡·休斯顿 Anjelica Huston饰）终年生活在这里，到处弥漫阴郁腐败的气息。二人感情如蜜，有一双喜欢玩谋杀游戏的儿女。戈梅斯的心里，却埋藏着一个伤疤。那就是他曾经和 哥哥费斯特失和，费斯特已经失踪25年，戈梅特仍然放不下对哥哥的惦念。
　　一心要夺取亚当斯庄园和这里的财富的母亲有一个儿子戈登（克里斯托弗·洛伊德 Christopher Lloyd饰），容貌跟费斯特相向。于是，一场阴谋上演了，她教唆戈登佯装费斯特潜入亚当斯庄园，利用戈梅斯的兄弟情一步一步地夺取庄园。
　　果然，戈登的到来不仅使戈梅斯大为惊喜，他渐渐融入这里的家庭生活，戈梅斯一家也随之陷入危险的泥沼中。当他们被夺走家产，凄苦沦落时，事情又有了峰回路转的变化。