A tailor approaches an emperor, telling him that with the linens he creates, the emperor will be impregnable, irresistible, and wholeheartedly admired by his subjects. Jumping at the opportunity, the emperor tells him to fashion some robes in five minutes for a visiting love interest. Failing to satisfy him, the emperor demands a suit of impenetrable armor, and gloats about his empire in it. Imposing various changes under his hubris, the emperor kills the young and rebellious, arrests anyone who criticizes him, and becomes increasingly dogmatic. At his palace doors, the people have begun to rise against him. Fearing the wrath of the people, the tailor abandons the emperor to join their ranks.