China. The Dominican Angelo Cocchi arrives in a daring manner in Fujian aboard a vessel of Chinese fishermen sailing from Taiwan (which in those years was being abandoned by the Spanish to the Dutch). Indeed, on the first night of the voyage, the Chinese crew, hungry for the silver rumoured to be in the pockets of the many foreigners on board, attacks the foreigners and kills five Filipinos, the Spaniard, and the Mexican. An Italian (Angelo Cocchi), a Chinese man, two Spaniards, and two Filipinos find refuge by hiding below deck. The following night, by chance, another group of pirates attacks the ship and kills all the occupants, except those below deck, whose existence they are unaware of. Cocchi in China is identified by the authorities and sent back to Taiwan. However, he manages to exchange himself at the last minute for a Chinese man who truly wants to go to Taiwan. In China, Cocchi manages, in an equally daring manner, to form a secret local Christian community.
