A young man’s fate is tied to the Protestant Reformation—and the violent upheaval that follows—in this prize-winning novel of sixteenth-century Spain.

On October 31st, 1517, Martin Luther nails his ninety-five theses to a church door and launches the movement that will divide the Roman Catholic Church. On that same day, a child is born in the Spanish city of Valladolid. The young Cipriano Salcedo's fate is marked by the political and religious upheaval taking root across Europe.

Cipriano grows up to become a prosperous merchant and joins the Reformation movement, which is secretly advancing on the Iberian Peninsula, the historical bastion of the Catholic church. But before long, the Spanish Inquisition will drive the Reformers to put their lives at stake. Through Cipriano’s story, Delibes paints a masterful portrait of the time of Spain's Charles V and recreates the social and intellectual atmosphere of Europe at one of history's most pivotal moments.

Winner of Spain’s Premio Nacional de Narrativa