Barcelona, ¿¿1387. The bells of the church of Santa Maria de la Mar ring for all the inhabitants of the Ribera district, but one person listens to them with particular attention. Hugo Lior, son of a deceased sailor, at the age of twelve works in the shipyards thanks to the generosity of one of the most respected noblemen in the city, Arnaud Estañol. However, his youthful dream of becoming a shipbuilder is overturned by the harsh and merciless reality, when the Puget family, who hate Estañol, take advantage of their privileged position with the new king to get the revenge they have been seeking for years.
Ten years after Our Lady of the Sea, Ildefonso Falcones returns to the world he knows so well, medieval Barcelona. He accurately recreates the feudal society of a turbulent era, captive to the corrupt nobility, recounting one man's struggle to make ends meet without sacrificing his dignity.