They fantasize of following the path of the setting sun to El Dorado and the Mysterious Cities of Gold. On 1532, Esteban, a Spanish orphan, joins Mendoza, a navigator, and his companions, Sancho and Pedro, in their hunt for one of the Seven Cities of Gold in the New World, hoping to discover his father. When they arrive at the city of Cuenca, Esteban finds out that his father has been killed during an attack by Indians, and he goes alone into the wilderness, where he meets the Inca emperor, who has also lost someone close to him. The emperor offers Esteban an appointment as a nobleman and gives him a new name: Francisco de Coronado. Coronado sets off again with an army to find the other six cities of gold, but he does not reach them all. He finds a last city on the edge of a great lake, which is filled with many golden objects. He believes this to be the final city of gold, but when he attempts to take it by force, he finds out that it is actually a magic kingdom where people are happy and free. Coronado decides to stay there instead of going further into the jungle with no end in sight. El Dorado is one of the most famous books ever written in Spain. It has been translated into almost every language in the world. In fact, "El Dorado" is now a generic term meaning something very beautiful or spectacular.