In Hizen Province, Father Joaquim Martinez has been quietly tending to the life of his village - but his faith is about to be tested. When the country´s military dictator - the Shogun - outlaws Martinez´s religion, his and the villagers´ lives are thrown into turmoil. Where once new ideas and beliefs had been accepted - with European Jesuits welcoming more than 100,000 converts into the Catholic faith - now the nation is shutting itself off from outside influences. Those who won´t recant or accept banishment face a sentence of death. With the threat of a massacre looming, and the Shogun´s Samurai closing in, Father Martinez must decide if he´s willing to risk everything for the villagers he´s come to think of as family. The Swords of Fire Trilogy, set in 17th century Japan, is inspired by actual historical events.