Set in 14th century Barcelona, ‘The Cathedral of the Sea’ is the intense tale of a man, Arnau, whose life runs parallel to the construction of the new Catholic temple in honor of the Virgin Mary of the Sea. Arnau’s life will be a continuous struggle for the freedom and dignity of the poor and humiliated, which will confront him with the power of the nobles. Without knowing a mother’s love, women will mark Arnau’s destiny. With them, he will experience both overwhelming passion and the purest and most selfless love. Revenge, love, and betrayal intertwine in a fascinating story that has a medieval Barcelona as a backdrop in a historical era marked by religious intolerance and social segregation.

The story takes place at a time when Barcelona is experiencing one of its most prosperous moments: the city has grown towards the Ribera, a humble neighborhood of fishermen where the largest Marian temple ever known is beginning to be built: Santa María del Mar. Arnau Estanyol is a humble servant of the land who, fleeing with his father from the abuses of the feudal lords of the countryside, takes refuge in Barcelona and becomes a free man. Arnau will work as a groom, bastaix, and soldier. However, a thrilling social ascent will take him out of misery to become a prosperous man thanks to success in business as a money changer. This will arouse the suspicions of his enemies who will plot a conspiracy and put his life in the hands of the Inquisition.