During the wars between the Philistines and the Israelites, King Saul offers his daughter Michal in marriage to the person who can kill the Philistine giant Goliath. Among those who respond is David, a young shepherd. When the boy slays the giant with a slingshot, he is acclaimed a hero among all the Israelites and moved into Saul's palace where he is treated as though he were the king's own son. Following David's marriage to Michal, Akhinoam, Saul's wife, fears that the boy may ascend to the throne in place of her eldest son, Jonathan, and she hints to Saul that David plans to kill him. Despite his love for David, Saul heeds her warning and tries to kill the youth, but David escapes. As the years pass, Saul becomes so obsessed with the belief that David has been chosen by God to succeed him that he orders the execution of 50 priests suspected of being followers of David. Some time later, on the eve of a battle, David has an opportunity to kill Saul while he sleeps; instead, David professes his loyalty and berates him for his persecution. At the battle of Mount Gilboa, Saul, now an old man, rallies his men and charges courageously into the overwhelming might of the Philistines. The Israelites are defeated, Jonathan is killed, and Saul is badly wounded. When his servant refuses to kill him to prevent him from being captured by the Philistines, Saul deliberately falls upon his sword and, before dying, names David as his successor. As the battle ends, David walks among the dead calling out for his beloved king.
