A Jewish goldsmith Mordche arrives in besieged medieval Trnava with his wife and granddaughter Golda just as the king’s captain Zenas demands new volunteers to defend the city against Ottoman invasion. The burgomaster’s son, a young painter, falls profoundly in love with Golda and paints her portrait imbued with a magical power to weep and cry for help when Zenas’s persecution of Mordche’s family reaches Golda.