In the novel there are genies and ancient treasures, magical transformations and human treachery, one enchanted youth and one disenchanted prince. Mention is made of Suleiman, the son of Daud (peace be upon them both), a cannibal ghoul and an evil witch. But there is not a word about the flying carpet, the great warriors of the past and the magic lamp. The first part tells about Shams ad-Din Muhammad, the Sultan of the city of Ahdad, and his vizier Abu-l-Hasan. About the Sultan's new concubine, about the disappearance of his son, about the snake that crawls out of the palace every night, and about what came of it all. In the second part, seven prisoners, including our Sultan, tell seven stories. The stories happened to them and not to them at different times, the stories are strangely intertwined, complement each other and shed some light on what happened in the first part. In the third and last part, as expected, there is a denouement.