King Goshtasp of Iran returned from a great battle only to discover that Arjasp, the king of Turan, had seized upon the Iranians’ embrace of the true faith and monotheism as a pretext to invade Iran in his absence. Arjasp had ravaged the land and its people, and taken Goshtasp’s daughters, Homay and Beh-Afarid, captive. Goshtasp freed Esfandiar from his chains, and Esfandiar, to rescue his imprisoned sisters, chose to face the perilous passage through the Seven Labors—each filled with terror and deadly trials.
