A porter in Baghdad meets a retired sailor whose travels have made him rich and famous. Though jealous at first, the porter learns through seven stories how hard Sinbad has worked for his fortune.

The first story tells of a vanishing island, the second of a valley of snakes; places the porter can hardly imagine, voyages he can scarcely believe. There are storms and shipwrecks, pirates and treasure, giant birds and giant men. Somehow Sinbad survives – as does his spirit of adventure.