Sixteen-year-old Horace Cleveland thinks of nobody but himself. While traveling with his mother across the Calabrian countryside on their way to Saiti, they rest at an inn. There, Horace spots a mysterious improvasitore—a talented musician who creates poetry and music on the spur of the moment. Ignoring the warnings of the Italian inn keeper, who tells them there are thieves lurking near the road, Horace decides to travel by night—much to the dismay of both his mother and their driver, Jacobo. Before long, the three of them are ambushed by the notorious and feared banditti. The robbers decide to let Mrs. Cleveland and Jacobo go, but they keep Horace a prisoner. When Horace is brought to the robber’s cave, he discovers that the musician he saw earlier lives there, too. Did this mysterious man help the banditti capture Horace? Or is he actually a friend in disguise? - Summary by DariaAM