Mexico, 1518: Aztec slave Yaotl learns of a tragedy. A friend's wife has died in childbirth. According to Aztec belief, her remains must be protected from warriors and sorcerers who would use them as a talisman, before her soul is transformed into a demon. But the body goes missing and Yaotl gets the blame. Only by finding out for himself what has happened can he avert the bereaved husband's wrath. He soon finds there is more to the affair than meets the eye. An associate of the dead woman's may not be all that he seems, and her family seems strangely reluctant to help Yaotl investigate him. Then a series of violent deaths leaves the wily slave wondering whether he is hunting a thief - or a killer is hunting him.