At the dawn of the 17th century, astronomer Galileo (Michael Moriarty) is on the verge of uncovering the biggest mysteries of the universe. But his ambitions are thwarted by lack of money, a lazy brother and a jealous rival. Luckily, Galileo finds support from the pampered son of the powerful Medici family. Under Galileo's tutelage, Prince Cosimo learns teat in searching for the stars, one has to have his feet firmly on the ground. Inspired by Galileo's quest for scientific truth, Cosimo helps Galileo invent the first telescope.