Sultan Mangogul of Congo is bored of court life and suspects his mistress Mirzoza of infidelity. Happily for him, a genie presents him with a magical ring with unique properties. When the ring is rubbed and pointed at the g******s of any woman in the vicinity, the g******s ("discreet jewels") begin speaking of their past amorous experiences to the confusion and consternation of their owner. In the book, the Sultan uses the ring in this manner about thirty times—usually at a dinner or a social meeting; on these occasions, the Sultan is typically visible to the woman. However, since the ring has the additional property of making its owner invisible when required, a few of the sexual experiences recounted are through direct observation with the Sultan making himself invisible and placing his person in the unsuspecting woman's boudoir.
