703 AD. Two pilloried convicts shipwreck on a desert island. Zaharias is a peaceful beekeeper, falsely convicted. Justinian is the Emperor of Byzantium, dethroned and mutilated: his nose is cut off. Humble man and fallen god are desperate, unable to use their hands and ready to die, but their encounter gives them hope. Zaharias becomes the Emperor's only soldier in a mission to escape the island and reclaim what's theirs. For Justinian it's his throne, for Zaharias his beehives. As they face hunger, snakes and sea currents, Zaharias's unconditional goodness irritates the Emperor, who in turn educates him on the virtues of power. They end up lost, dehydrated and delirious. Hierarchies fall apart, and the beekeeper questions the way he lives his life, embraces his repressed anger and loses his nose. Justinian is close to dying, but the throne is not lost! With his education complete, the noseless beekeeper sails towards his royal fate under a new name: Justinian.