Nizami
In Ganja, poet Nizami and Rena declare their love, angering Azra, who also loves Nizami, and the ruler who desires Azra. The ruler orders Rena sent to Baghdad. At a palace feast, Nizami refuses to praise the ruler and rejects Azra; the ruler retaliates by ordering Rena branded. Nizami later leaves Gizil Arslan’s court after witnessing the ruler’s cruelty to his son. Azra and the ruler plot to kill Rena, while the ruler tries to draw Nizami to his side with gifts and threats. When Gizil Arslan’s troops surround Ganja, the ruler orders the city burned and Nizami refuses to mediate. The people gather around the poet, convinced that justice will prevail.