The journey of Michael Padovic, a professor from the United States, who arrives with his wife, Helene, at a Portuguese convent where he expects to find the documents needed to prove his theory: Shakespeare was born in Spain, not in England, and was Jewish. The main characters arrive at the convent where they are greeted by an enigmatic stranger who refers to himself as Baltar; he is the keeper of the convent. Other characters include a fisherman, the beautiful bookkeeper who is attracted to Dr. Padovic's work, and an elderly man who goes by the name of Balthazar.