1368: Granada is under threat from violent extremists. Abu Abdallah, the penniless globetrotter and his West African slave, Sinan, arrive to find the labyrinthine palace-citadel, the Alhambra, nearing its triumphant completion. Inexplicable events and baffling mysteries lie in wait at every turn and threaten to ruin forever the delicate balance of Muslim- Christian power in Spain.