Will is desperate to make a good impression with the College of Heralds so that he can finally get a coat of arms. Befriending a dashing African prince by the name of Otello may provide Will with the means to climb the social ladder.Will is anxious to get a family coat of arms but his father's vulgar reputation thwarts him. When he hears that the Moroccan prince Otello is in town he aims to ingratiate himself with Greene by passing the prince off as his friend but when Otello falls for Kate Greene becomes jealous and seeks to discredit Will - who now finds himself with the plot of a play though he fails both to realize that and to get his coat of arms.