Marco Polo, born in 1254, is 17 years old when his great journey along the Silk Road begins and ends in the great empire of the Mongol ruler Kublai Khan, the grandson of Genghis Khan. The merchant's son sees things that few Europeans before him have seen: paper money, coal, temples, palaces and a wise ruler who cares for his people. But he did not bring the noodle to Italy. In prison Marco Polo wrote his book "The Wonders of the World", which became a controversial bestseller. Even Christopher Columbus carried it with him when he wanted to discover the sea route to India and landed in America instead.