World-weary Prince Leo (Marcello Mastroianni), heir to the throne of a nameless European country, retires to his father's English town house only to discover that the once-posh area has become a ghetto ruled by cruel violence. The reclusive bird-watcher's field glasses soon draw him into the dire world of the neighboring Mardi family and their young daughter, Salambo (Glenna Forster-Jones), whose plight spurs Leo to peculiar and unroyal action.