As part of a Spanish expedition to the New World, a Jesuit seminarian witnesses the enslavement and exploitation of the Mayas and is seduced by greed and ambition.

Julian Escobar becomes trapped in the role of Mayan god Kukulcan, confronting pagan "subjects" and priests, and encountering emperor Moctezuma and conquistador Cortes

Relates the adventures of Julian Escobar, a young Spanish student who impersonates a god of the Maya and travels to view the grandeur of the Incan empire