Upon his return from Delphi, King Polonius (Edward Newborn) reluctantly shares some very distressing news with his pregnant young wife, Queen Maliphone (Denise O'Connell). He confides that the Oracle has declared he will be succeeded on the throne by a child outside his own family. Determined to prevent that from happening, the young queen insists that her husband order his troops to round up every male child in the province under the age of one and bring them to the palace. Meanwhile, Hercules (Kevin Sorbo) and Iolaus (Michael Hurst), on their way to a Winter Solstice festival, set up camp for the night and fall asleep under the stars. Tossing fitfully, Iolaus suddenly bolts upright and begins to sleepwalk, drawn by some unseen force to the edge of a clearing. Stumbling down a twisted path, he passes a distinctive rock formation and a gnarled old tree as two glowing red eyes swoop down in his direction. Suddenly, he is struck by a blinding ray of light, which causes a severe sunburn on his palms. Returning to the campsite, Iolaus tells Hercules that he has had a dream and must leave immediately to journey north, though he cannot explain why. Concerned about his friend's welfare, Hercules decides to go along. When they finally make camp that evening, a thief named Trinculos (Jon Brazier) attempts to steal their dinner but is stopped by Hercules, who ends up offering him some food. As Hercules and Iolaus agree to let Trinculos travel with them, they notice that the man's palms also appear sunburned.
The next day, the young couple Uris (Brent Barrett) and Loralei (Kirstie O'Sullivan), fleeing Polonius' soldiers with their newborn baby, escape capture with the help of Hercules and Iolaus. Outraged by Polonius' activities, the two heroes agree they must stop the King. Uris, however, appears to be in a great hurry to continue his journey north. Sure enough, when Hercules' asks to see Uris' palms, he finds them sunburned just like those of Iolaus and Trinculos. All three men, it seems, have had the same dream. As Iolaus and Trinculos continue north, Hercules escorts Uris and his family to the house of Uris' brother. Despite his deep love and concern for them, Uris is soon compelled to leave his wife and child and continue his trip northward, with Hercules at his side. When a soldier brings Polonius news of Hercules' arrival in their province, Maliphone urges her husband to exact revenge against the son of Zeus for a humiliating defeat he has suffered in the past. The King prays to Hera for her help in destroying Hercules and the evil goddess responds by sending him six terrifying members of her Death Squad.
Meanwhile, Hercules and Uris rejoin Iolaus and Trinculos and the foursome continue northward, where the king's troops are taking all the captured babies. They gather all the women and infants in the villages along the way and spirit them to safety, unaware that Loralei and her child have been taken by the soldiers. When the king and queen hear of Hercules' efforts and realize that he's heading straight for the palace, they prepare a deadly trap. In the meantime, while revealing bits and pieces of their shared dream, Iolaus, Uris and Trinculos finally come to understand that their destination is the palace of Polonius. The next morning, when Hercules and his comrades enter the palace, they find themselves facing Hera's Death Squad and an epic battle ensues. Amidst flashing blades and bursts of flame, Hercules battles Hera's deadly warriors, finally using water as a weapon against the assassins. Iolaus, Uris and Trinculos fight brilliantly and in the end, Polonius is killed by Trinculos' dagger and the king's remaining soldiers surrender. Uris is reunited with Loralei and his baby, the other mothers and children are released, the queen is exiled and the people are free to elect their next ruler. As they stare up into the night sky, Iolaus, Uris and Trinculos follow the light of a shining star to a stable, where they see a man and woman bent over a tiny cradle as shepherds and their flocks look on.
Starring: Kevin Sorbo (Hercules), Michael Hurst (Iolaus)
Guest Starring: Brent Barrett (Uris), Jon Brazier (TrinCulos), Edward Newborn (Polonius), Denise O'Connell (Queen Maliphone), Latham Gaines (Captain), Kirstie O'Sullivan (Loralei), Jason Hoyte (Cohort)
Teleplay by John Schulian and Brian Herskowitz
Story by John Schulian
Directed by Michael Levine