A desperate father hires Alatriste to rescue his daughter a powerful priest is said to be using the girl as his personal concubine. The priest has threatened to reveal that the man's family is of Jewish descent, so he has no legal recourse. Alatriste agrees to help, and several nights later, under the cloak of darkness, a rescue attempt is made. But soon Alatriste discovers that he has become part of a religious and political conspiracy that leads all the way to the highest levels of the Inquisition.