In this, the first tome of the historical navel novel series 'A Spanish Sailor Saga', Luis Delgado deals with the life suffered in the galleys of Spain's Royal Armada in the second half of the 18th century.
A young Spaniard, anxious to have adventures at sea, is condemned to the most terrible punishment after a selfish & false accusation: he must serve in the galleys of His Majesty, tied to the hard bench in the hold like just another slave. He suffers all kinds of hardships and humilliations that no human being should ever have to bear. After an initial period in Cartagena's Barracks for Convicts and Moors, where he undertakes forced labour, he is put on board  the Santa Bárbara  galley where, with another member of the rabble, he will live through unforgettable and spine-chilling episodes of sea and war.