As a young man in fourteenth century Spain, Guaril de Vega struggles with his commitment to family and desiring the status that is rightfully his by way of birth but is unattainable because of a secret his family conceals. Upon his return from university, de Vega falls in love with the daughter of an ambitious politician, only to find that Viscount de Leon of Barcelona has already spoken to her father for the betrothal to his son. With an animosity nurtured from childhood, a jealous hatred soon develops between de Vega and de Leon, which culminates with a duel, with de Vega the vic-tor. De Vega flees Barcelona fearing for his life and finds himself one step ahead of the Black Plague. Desperate for food and shelter, he comes across a priory in the Village of Newstead. Here he finds solace for his broken heart and a new vocation. After several decades, de Vega, now Broth-er John, is confronted with his past and once again finds himself torn, this time between the love of family and his church. After hearing of the death of his father and his brother's imprisonment, Brother John returns to Spain in a desperate attempt to free his brother. However, his plan is thwarted, when he comes face-to-face with a maniacal tyrant, whose brand of reform by way of the inquisition forces John to confront his decision for becoming a priest. Accused of heresy and being an enemy of Christ, John is imprisoned and tortured, only to be released to finish a three-decade-old feud and to be reunited with the only woman he has ever loved.