'Once in the East there lived a man who owned a ring of unimaginable worth...' Jerusalem, 1192. An uneasy stalemate exists between the Muslim forces of Saladin and the western Crusaders. Caught in the middle, the Jews. All sides respect Nathan for his wisdom and his wealth. But in a war-zone no one is secure. Banned by the Nazis, Lessing's 18th-century masterpiece is a passionate plea for religious tolerance.