In the 10th year of the Trojan War, waged by the Greeks against Troy in revenge for the abduction of Helen by the Trojan Paris, Hector, the Trojan leader, is slain by Achilles, and there is dissent in choosing a new commander. The choice of the nobility is the weak and treacherous Paris, while the soldiers favor the brave warrior Aeneas, who secretly marries Priam's daughter, Creusa. Accompanied by Aeneas, Priam visits the Greek camp to claim Hector's body, and Aeneas defeats the Greek warrior Ajax in single combat. While Aeneas is away raising new troops to fight the Greeks, Creusa, now pregnant, is taken hostage. Aeneas returns and rescues his wife, inflicting heavy losses on the enemy, but Paris refuses to support him. Meanwhile, the Greeks, following Ulysses' inspiration, construct an enormous wooden horse and give out that it is a holy object on which their fortunes depend. As they retreat by sea from Troy, they leave the horse outside the gates with a number of warriors hidden inside. The Trojans draw the horse within their walls, and that night, while the city celebrates its victory, the Greek warriors emerge from the horse, open the city gates to the Greek force, and sack and burn Troy. Aeneas finds the body of Creusa, who has just given birth to a son, and escapes to Italy with the infant. There, with a small band of followers, he founds the city of Rome.