Teoxi, now an old man--the fourth son of Uaxactun. the last absolute monarch of Tikal--sits on the banks of lake Peten-Itza and recalls the story of his life. Wishing to preserve a record of the events that led to the destruction of his homeland, his still-sharp eyes sweep the distant shore as he tries to put his memories in order. Born of an elderly father, Teoxi was looked after by priests, shielded from government matters, and--unlike his three older brothers--taught to be an intellectual rather than a warrior. But, because the future had unexpected events in store for him, his intellectual upbringing turned out to be of more use to him than his lack of military training. In his early manhood, an unforeseen event not only transfixed the nation but also steadily and permanently lured Teoxi away from his young life of amusements and intellectual pursuits, thrusting him headlong into a national crisis whose solution was crucial to the very survival of his country. After mere months into this growing turmoil, Teoxis father realized that young Teoxi was the most qualified among his brothers to someday assume the Mayan throne. Now, Teoxi had to weave his way carefully through the squalid and dangerous world of the empires leadership, struggle wearily yet confidently through entanglements of intrigue and treachery, move delicately between ancient myths and recent science, attempt to protect his family and country against internal and external threats, prepare for war with the powerful Aztecs, confront overwhelming and destructive acts of nature, and accept the undeniable fact that this young man of too few years had truly entered a living hell. To make matters worse, during his first timid steps from the solitude of the palace to a world of intrigue and danger, he fell at first sight for a girl below his class, and then moved inexorably toward a forbidden relationship that would preclude his ascension to the throne. This is the story of the young man Teoxi, committing the breadth of his will and fortitude to the needs of his people and, throughout it all, maintaining hope that his first love would someday share his days and nights. This is also the story of the old man Teoxi, sitting on the shores of the Peten-Itza seeing the things we cannot see and recounting for those in the world today, the world he knew so well.
