As in the previous two volumes of his novelistic cycle, La guerra silenciosa, Manuel Scorza adds touches of humor and fantasy to his chronicle of peasant uprisings in the Andes. The present novel describes the last months in the life of Raymundo Herrera, and focuses on his attempt to rekindle the spirit of rebellion in his fellow Indians. Although he tells them he cannot close his eyes until they have succeeded in their struggle to regain possession of their lands, he dies without seeing his wish fulfilled. Herrera's mission is taken up by Agapito Robles, the protagonist of the next novel.