In the city of Jerez de los Caballeros, in Extremadura, in the sixteenth century, was born Luis María Monroy Villalobos, son of an important family. His early years are marked by the absence of his grandfather, prisoner in the war, and his father, who fights as captain in the imperial navy. When his father died, and following his last will, Luis María will begin his training as a knight at the service of the emperor. He will be the page of Carlos I, and he will discover his great talent and passion for music and, helped by the Count of Oropesa, he will enter at the service of the emperor with Don Alvaro de Sande, in Milan. Monroy's exciting life is the faithful reflection of an era as fascinating as complex. The main character of the novel will discover soon that religious ideals, music and poetry, homeland and honor must coexist with the cruelty of wars and hunger, and sometimes with the wickedness of their rulers.