Nanki-Poo, the in-disguise royal son of the Mikado, has fled court to avoid an arranged marriage. He arrives in the town of Titipu seeking the beautiful Yum-Yum, only to find she is engaged to Ko-Ko, the Lord High Executioner – previously arrested on the charge of flirting.

When an edict from the Mikado demands a quota execution, soft-hearted Ko-Ko finds he cannot bring himself to kill anyone… Meanwhile, Nanki-Poo declares he cannot live without Yum-Yum and plans to end it all. An idea is ignited to give them both what they want.

However, the arrival in town of the spurned Katisha turns everything topsy-turvy. Amid matchmaking mischief and preposterous plots, the tangled web unravels; will the punishment fit the crime?