Book Two, The Man and La Mancha, begins in 1597 in the foul prisons of Madrid where a convict, Miguel, is making money by telling stories, biding his time until he is released. But he is liberated to a world at war and is press ganged onto a ship bound for war against the Turks. The ship is captured and he becomes a slave in a court of a rich merchant in al- Jazā’ir. He learns the ways of the mussulmanes Muslims and becomes a favourite of the merchant who sends him to the New World in the South where he hears tales of a legendary conquistador and his obsession drives him to the interiors to seek him out. When finally rescued from slavery, reluctantly Miguel returns to Spain and writes his tales into books which draw the admiration of many.