T. E. Lawrence (Peter O'Toole), a british officer charged with the task of assembling the varied desert tribes of Persia into a guerrella army to fight against Turkey in World War One. Lawrence must get such headstrong tribe leaders as Auda abu Tayi (Anthony Quinn), Sherif Ali (Omar Sharif) and Prince Faisal (Alec Guinness) to work together to forge the new nation of Saudi Arabia. This despite fending off both the forces of Turkey and political machinations from his superiors General Lord Edmund Allenby (Jack Hawkins), Colonel Brighton (Anthony Quayle), and Foreign Office functionary Mr. Dryden (Claude Rains).