A Mysterious King from a war-torn land finds his way into Termina, seeking help for his country. Relations between the inhabitants of Clock Town and Ikana are tense due to theological differences, and the King stumbles into the midst of a strange clash of festivities and fighting, the Carnival of Time. Ikanans and Towners gather together once a year in Clock Town to celebrate one event from completely different viewpoints. This strange king, pursued by an unseen foe, is knocked out, and taken, by his almost incoherent request, to Ikana City by a traveling Clock Towner, Kafei, and a solder of Ikana, Igos. Their stories wind around each other as they each try to keep the Stone Tower closed, being thrown at cross-purposes into a struggle for the survival of Ikana, Clock Town, and a faraway kingdom.