We are in Matuzia, a medieval Italian city. Matuzia is divided into small feuds, fighting each other, and it is itself dominated by the Republic of Genoa by hand of the evil bishop Gioioso.
Teodoro Capponi is an old and violent vassal who desires to free Matuzia from Genoa and dominate the city himself; so, he crosses the border of the feuds to meet the widow Ginevra Guglielmi, a powerful but troubled vassal, and force her to marry him, in order to empower his position and gain the trust of the bishop.
Matteo is a young man, prisoner for the the accusation of paganism, as he follows the cult of the ancient italic deity Borman. He is hired by a monk to kill Acmetto, a youngster who is found out to be Borman's son and supreme prophet, in exchange for his freedom.
