Aladdin begins as an impoverished and idle youth in a Chinese city, whose laziness troubles his parents until his father Mustapha dies. His mother then supports them through labor. A sorcerer from the Maghreb, impersonating Aladdin's uncle, gifts him a protective ring and guides him to a treacherous cave to retrieve a magic lamp. After Aladdin secures the lamp, an argument leads the sorcerer to trap him inside. Desperate, Aladdin rubs the ring, summoning the Slave of the Ring jinni, who transports him to safety.

Later, while cleaning the lamp, Aladdin's mother accidentally summons the vastly more powerful Slave of the Lamp jinni, who obeys its holder. Aladdin commands this jinni to gain wealth, servants, fine clothes, a horse, jewels, and food. He falls in love with Princess Badroulbadour, the Sultan's daughter. To marry her, he sends the Sultan extravagant gifts and uses the jinni to sabotage her betrothal to the vizier's son. He then orders the jinni to construct a palace surpassing the Sultan's and a velvet carpet linking them, securing the Sultan's consent to the marriage.

Years later, the sorcerer returns and tricks the princess into trading the magic lamp for new ones. Securing the lamp, he commands its jinni to move the palace and princess to Africa. The enraged Sultan orders Aladdin's execution. Initially forgetting the ring, Aladdin eventually summons the Slave of the Ring, who transports him to Africa. There, Aladdin and the princess poison the sorcerer. Aladdin retrieves the lamp and returns the palace.

The sorcerer's brother seeks vengeance but is ultimately defeated and killed by Aladdin, ensuring peace. Aladdin and Princess Badroulbadour live out their lives together, achieving rags-to-riches through supernatural aid and cunning. The narrative features two distinct genies: the Slave of the Lamp and the Slave of the Ring, the latter being crucial to Aladdin's survival and victory.