Who would ever have thought that Fernando Genero Diego Romolo de Fuentes, 13 years old, spoiled youngest son of a plantation owner and Mexican creole gentleman, would find himself like a peon, without money, dressed in tatters and leading a scrawny burro on the road to Mexico City, where he had never been.

But the unforseen death of Nando's father had thrown him into an entirely new life, a life of adventure—but also a life of trouble—a life which was to teach him a lot about himself and about Mexico, the country of his birth.

The nosey and impudent Isobel Rodriguez, Father Miguel Hidalgo, a wise and understanding priest, and Ignacio Alende the vigorous and friendly army captain are but three of the many fascinating characters who influence Nando and cause his involvement in the terrifying and thrilling beginnings of Mexico's War of Independence.

From the dust jacket