Nasca has installed the Emperor Kukulkan in his newly built palace, a palace full of secret passages and spy-holes. Nasca calls for Royal sacrifices to appease the new God Teshcata now that the old religion of the peaceful God Quala (The Feathered Serpent) has come to an end. Princess Chimalma is told that she must marry Prince Heumac, to bring peace again to their nation. A young servant boy, Tozo, arrives at the palace with a gift for Princess Chimalma.

Otolmi the blind man rescues Tozo after he has had his cloak stolen. The blind man tells him of his dreams and together they try and discover the secret of the palace walls. There they discover Maxtla the palace builder. Before he dies he presents them with his chart of the palace. Prince Heumac is presented at the throne of Kukulkhan as an intended for the Princess Chimalma. He is given leave to sit at the Jaguar Throne as their new champion. Nasca promises to give Mahoutec the weapons to destroy Prince Heumac. He is told by Teshcata that he must kill Kukulkhan too ...

Tozo finds the secret passage that allows him entry through the Palace wall. He needs to find his master and warn him of the danger foretold by Otolmi's dream. Kukulkhan spends the night alone in the temple, to receive council from the Spirits of the Dead. He receives a grim judgment though, but is Nasca behind it all? Nasca threatens Princess Chimalma, and then goads Mahoutec into fighting Prince Heumac so that he can reclaim his right to the throne. He spies on the Princess as she preys to the God Quala, not Teshcata as he demanded.

Prince Heumac convinces the Princess Chimalma that there might be foul play at work in the death of Emperor Kukulkhan. The Prince finds a fragment of Maxtla's chart in the Temple, and starts unraveling its mystery. Nasca tries to convince Mahoutec to order his armies to attack the Toltec camp without any order from Chimalma. He tries to convince him that Heumac is a sorcerer, but Mahoutec needs proof. Tozo is captured and tortured by Chadac. Nasca poisons him, but he is rescued by Heumac. Nasca and Chadac find and burn the other part of Maxtla's chart.

Chadac and Nasca's poisoning of the Princess Chimalma is blamed on Prince Heumac's "sorcery". He tries to convince Mahoutec of Nasca's treachery and the existence of the secret passages, but fails. Nasca uses the sleeping Chimalma as a reason to get Mahoutec to lead his army on a surprise attack on the Toltec camp. Tozo hides with the sleeping Chimalma, and finds the antidote. Returned to the throne, she tries to banish Mahoutec for his attack on the Toltec camp, and have Tasca and Chadac arrested. Her guards do not listen to her though.

Princess Chimalma is rescued from the Chamber of Screams by Tozo and the blind man Otolmi. Otolmi tells her that she must go back into the Chamber, with wax in her ears to protect her, then return to the throne to make his dream come to fruition. Nasca tries to scratch Mahoutec and poison him as he is asking too many questions, only fails in his task. In a fight though, Chadac spears him through the back. In a procession, Prince Heumac is taken to the Pyramid of the Sun for his sacrifice, where Nasca uses an eclipse to try and convince the people to support his God.