The year is 1917, and 17-year-old David Martín is an assistant at the Voice of Industry newspaper in Barcelona, Spain. Deputy editor Don Basilio Moragas gives David six hours to write a crime fiction story for the back page. Of his first paid writing assignment, David recalls, "A writer is condemned to remember that moment, because from then on he is doomed and his soul has a price" (3).

Over the next year, David's weekly column, The Mysteries of Barcelona, becomes a massive hit, causing many of his co-workers to envy and resent him. The exception is Don Pedro Vidal, whose family owns the newspaper and who gave David his first assistant job. One day, Pedro arrives at David's dingy flat to deliver a package addressed to David at the office: a white envelope sealed in wax with the stamp of an angel. Inside is a letter from an anonymous fan complimenting David on his writing and inviting him to enjoy a surprise at El Ensueño, a high-class bordello in Barcelona's red-light district.