Hercules' sculptor friend Thanis was framed for robbery and faced cruel punishment: the loss of both hands. When Iolaus and Hercules set out to prove their friend's innocence, they learned that the deformed god Proteus, who could change his form at will, had committed the crime. He was taking revenge on the village because Thanis' daughter, Daniela, had fled from him after seeing his real reflection. Forced to battle "himself", Hercules made Proteus look upon his own reflection, and the ashamed god gave up the fight. All he ever wanted was Daniela's love.