Os Quatro Cantos do Império

The 15th century is drawing to a close. The cities of Portugal are teeming with commerce, and everywhere, the mountains of shipbuilders roar. This is the story of Lopo, a young shepherd with simple tastes and quick wit. His happiness lies in herding goats to the hills and running on the beach with Guiomar, the daughter of a Count. Lopo and Guiomar are always accompanied by Latido, a magnificent water dog. Until the day a caravel captain, returning from Guinea, is rewarded by Guiomar's father with Latido. The loss of the animal robs the young woman of her will to live. And Lopo decides to follow this captain to recover the dog and, with it, Guiomar's smile. From the city of Lagos to the square of Ceuta, from the beaches of Calicut to the forests of Brazil, Lopo visits the four corners of the empire, swept along by oceanic navigation, the designs of admirals, the whims of captains, and the dreams of the King of Portugal. After imprisonment and betrayal, the violence of the Mamelukes and the voluptuousness of the Hindus, the sobriety of the nomads and the cannibalistic purity of the Indians… will Lopo return to Portugal? And what happened to Latido?