This is the story of Santiago, a shepherd boy who dreams of travelling the world in search of a worldly treasure. From his home in Spain, he journeys to Tangiers, and from there into the Egyptian desert, where a fateful encounter with the alchemist awaits him.
Pilar, an independent and practical yet restless young woman, finds her life forever changed by an encounter with a childhood friend, now a handsome seminiarian and rumoured miracle worker, who leads her on a journey through the French Pyrenees.
The author was instructed by his mysterious spiritual master to find and speak to his guardian angel to overcome his dark past. This book gives an account of his quest into the Mojave desert where he encountered angelic beings who challenged him to follow his dreams.
The trials of Paulo Coelho and his mysterious mentor, Petrus, are here recounted, as they journey across Spain in search of a miraculous sword - on a legendary road travelled by pilgrims of San Tiago since the Middle Ages. This is part adventure story, part guide to self-mastery.