The great Children's Crusade of the 13th-century provides the framework of this historical epic that centers around a sympathetic monk who accompanied a group of thousands of children who marched to protest the carnage of the Crusades between the Christians and the Moslems for the ownership of the holy land. As he travels with the brave young protesters, he hears some of their confessions. From them he learns that many of the children are going, not so much to protest the wars but because they are strongly attracted to the charismatic instigators of the march. The monk investigates and discovers that the young leaders of the march themselves were conned into it by a lecherous count who wanted both of them. The morally outraged priest, understanding that it is carnal passion that is behind the great march, tries to stop it. But the pacifistic army cannot be halted and they literally march right over him toward Jerusalem.