The "discovery" of the New World in 1492 has been celebrated as one of humanity's great moments. But America's inhabitants saw this event and its consequences differently.

A sweeping, epic historical novel of exploration and invasion, of slaves and conquerors, and above all, an enduring love that must overcome the forging of an empire. Plucked from his small fishing village and captured by the conquistadors looking to plunder the gold of Peru, young Waman is the everyman thrown into extraordinary circumstances, caught up in history's throes. He finds himself at every major moment in the empire-building of the Spanish...