Arn Magnusson is a son of the powerful
Folkung dynasty in the mid-12th century. He grows up in a monastery belonging to the
Cistercians and is trained there in archery, swordsmanship and horsemanship by a former
Knight Templar, the brother Guilbert. Arn is also discovered to be
ambidextrous. One day, while wandering the woods, he encounters three men trying to force a young girl into marriage. When the girl begs Arn for help, two of the men attack him and he kills them in self-defense. Although the monks tell Arn he did nothing wrong, they question Guilbert training him in being a warrior. Guilbert replies that Arn is not meant to be a monk but is destined to be a soldier of God. When Arn leaves the monastery and returns to his family, he is soon pulled into the struggle between powerful families fighting for the crown of
Västra Götaland. He helps his friend
Knut Eriksson to kill the old king
Karl Sverkersson. This leads to war between the two factions. Arn and his fiancée Cecilia Algotsdotter are excommunicated for premarital relations and falsely accused of having relations with Cecilia's sister (in reality a plot to hurt Knut) and forced to undertake twenty years of penance, Cecilia in a convent and Arn as a Knight Templar in the
Holy Land to fight against the
Saracens. Cecilia gives birth to Arn's son but the son is taken away from her and she hears only of his survival, and name of Magnus, through another woman who is also named Cecilia, the future queen of Sweden,
Cecilia Blanka. While pursuing a band of thieves, Arn comes across the enemy of all Christendom,
Saladin, and saves his life. Saladin thanks Arn by warning him away from
Jerusalem because he is leading a vast army towards the city. As Saladin marches upon Jerusalem, Arn is given the order to intercept the Saracens before they reach the city, and he and his men successfully ambush Saladin's army in a mountain pass (the ambush taking the place of the historical
Battle of Montgisard figuring in the novel). The movie ends with Arn gaining a letter discharging him from his service in the Holy Land from the Templar Grandmaster
Arnold of Torroja and Cecilia giving praise to God on hearing news of Arn's survival. ==Cast==