Conan demands passage aboard a sail barge which is casting off for southern waters to trade beads, silks, sugar, and brass-hilted swords to the black kings of Kush. Conan will become a notorious pirate plundering the coastal villages of Kush alongside Bêlit, a head-strong femme fatale and ship captain.
Due to its epic scope and atypical romance, the story is an undisputed classic of Conan lore and is often cited by Howard scholars as one of his most famous tales.