razz opsotcover.jpg" />Jordan Mechner stated that the story was inspired by the ancient Persian Book of Kings, the Shahnameh.[3]
Passing through India en route to Azad, King Shahraman and his son, the Prince of Persia, defeat the powerful Maharajah of India with the promise of honor and glory. After looting the city and capturing a giant hourglass full of sand, a mysterious dagger, and the Maharajah's daughter Farah along with other treasures, they continue to Azad. A dying Vizier, who had betrayed the Maharajah and aided King Shahraman in return for a share of the spoils, demands to have the dagger, as he was promised his choice of the Maharajah's treasures. Shahraman refuses to take the dagger from his son, who captured it first. He is also denied the hourglass itself, which is to go to the sultan of Azad as a gift. The Vizier wishes to harness the power of the Sands in the hourglass for himself, and tricks the Prince into opening the hourglass in Azad. When the Prince uses the dagger to unleash the Sands of Time from the hourglass, the Sands destroy the kingdom and turn all living beings into hideous sand creatures. Only the Prince, the Vizier, and Princess Farah, the kidnapped daughter of the Maharajah, remain unchanged due to their possessions; the Prince's dagger, the Vizier's staff, and Farah's Medallion.
On a journey to repair the damage he has caused, the Prince teams with Farah to return the Sands of Time to the hourglass by using the Dagger of Time, which also gives the Prince limited control over the flow of time. Before they reach their destination, the Prince and Farah form a romantic relationship. However, the prince sees Farah steal the dagger of Time while viewing the future through a Sand Vortex. The Prince knows that Farah has every reason to hate him for conquering her people, and he suspects that Farah plans to steal the Dagger of Time from him. While the Prince sleeps, Farah does at a later time take the Dagger, as well as his sword, and attempts to return the Sands to the hourglass herself, leaving only her medallion behind with the Prince. When the Prince catches up with her, she is being attacked by sand creatures, and is knocked into the hourglass chamber through a hole in the floor. The prince tries to grab her hand, but only manages to grab the Dagger of Time by its blade, causing him severe pain. Farah lets go of the Dagger and falls to her death.
Afterwards, the Prince uses the Dagger to return the Sands to the hourglass, and the time line reverts to the point prior to the battle against the Maharajah. As a result, the relationship between Farah and himself is a memory that only he possesses. However, the Prince still has the Dagger in his possession, even in the past. He goes to find Farah, to warn her of the Vizier's treachery before the Sands are released, and to give her the Dagger of Time. But as the Prince shares his epic story with her, he is confronted by the evil Vizier, who still yearns for the Dagger, and eternal life. He plans to kill Farah and blame her murder on the Prince.
After defeating the Vizier, and preventing the opening of the hourglass, the Prince offers the Dagger to Farah. As he leaves, she asks him his name, to which he responds "Just call me... Kakolukia,"[4] a word that Farah's mother told her that would make everything all right if she was frightened and that only she would know of.
Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_of_Persia:_The_Sands_of_Time#Plot
