Sudha is a young Indian widow who lives in an ancient village. After her husband died, she was forced to enter a harem, where she would become a Vishakanya, a female assassin who contains poison in her mouth and, with a kiss, can kill powerful men. Her latest assignment is the Emperor, Alexander the Great. She goes to meet him, and he picks her out from among the crowd. She notices how pale he is. He reveals that he knows she is an assassin, and that he picked her because he is dying of an illness but would rather die in all his glory: therefore, he wants her to kill him. She agrees, but only on the condition that he give her a magical Choice that would allow her to decide her own fate. He gives it to her and, for once, Sudha feels in charge of her own life.