Arrogant pride and an impassioned love of a woman bring to ruin the mightiest of Aztec warrior-kings, Ahuitzotl.

He embarks on conquests that make him the undisputed master of his world. At the dedication ceremony of the Great Temple in his capitol, he orders, as a climactic exposition of his pride, the largest mass sacrifice ever known, an orgy of excess seen by the priests as outraging the Gods, and for which he will suffer their wrath. He leads his people to their most glorious heights, only to bring calamity upon them. He manipulates the lives of his two most beloved women to serve his own selfish purposes, and alienates his closest allies with his quest for domination, setting into motion forces that culminate in a cruel retribution against him. The world of the Aztec ruling elites, with its intrigues, politics, and gory rituals comes to life for the reader in this epic work.