It was fall 1570, and rumors of an invasion by the Turks were spreading throughout Venice. Down by the docks, Guido Callatta listened to the sailors as they discussed past battles and speculated about more fighting in the future. From the altar of St. Mark's a message from His Holiness Pope Pius V had been read, calling for a crusade to repel Turkish advances. A fleet of Venetian and Spanish vessels would be assembled, and Guido's father, like other wealthy Venetians, had agreed to build and equip a galley for the Christian fleet. Secretly, Guido hoped to sail to battle with his father's crew; instead, he was whisked off to the safety of a monastery, far from the excitement of the Venetian waterfront.

How Guido finally manages to join the fleet and help to defeat the Turks in the memorable battle of Lepanto is a colorful tale of danger, suspense, and adventure in sixteenth-century Italy.

From the dust jacket