The year is 1492.  In Spain, Christopher Columbus is preparing for the voyage that will earn him a place in history.  But what's happening in the rest of the Old World, and in the New World, which Columbus is about to visit for the first time?

Using imaginary characters based on actual records, Piero Ventura takes us on a journey through many different countries.  We meet a young Flemish trader and the maid of honor to a Spanish princess, a veteran Turkish cavalryman and a Portuguese cabin boy, an English innkeeper's son and a French theology student, among many others.

Then we sail with Columbus on his momentous voyage, and meet some of the inhabitants of the New World, where ancient civilizations have existed undisturbed for thousands of years.  We are introduced to the peaceful Tainos of the Caribbean, whom Columbus first called "Indians," to the Mayan and Incan and Aztec peoples, and to native North Americans.  This remarkable historical panorama is illustrated with rich color and fascinating detail.

From the dust jacket