Spain, the XVIth century, the monastery of Campodios. Feeling his end approaching, abbot Hardinus calls for Vitus, the now young men he protected and has seen growing up within the walls of the abbey after he was found as a baby. He passes him a piece of damast and tells him the very few things he knows about him.
For Vitus the very start of his search for his origin, friends, ambuches, a rather unfortunate encounter with the inquisition and in most of the cases a way to practice his skills as a surgeon.
Till there the story in a nutshell. I'm afraid I can be rather hard in comments. The story is interesting to pick some things up but it could be so much more. Development of the main caracther... well... the perfect guy without human weakness rarely makes an interesting character, simple said, development, history, depth... it's all pretty on the surface and that counts for all types. Medical treatments.. I bet that the author did do his research. Problem is that when you want to explain too much in a novel it becomes rather interrupting. The story falls appart. The end of the book is disappointing, too many coincidences, too many things that just go smooth without any further question.
As for my knowledge of barber/surgeons of the time, my guess it was a bit less nice then it appears to be in the book. But OK I'm far from a specialist in the field.
Since I have the second book of this series and since it's not so evident to get books that in a for me understandable language where I live reading the second part "Le Chirurgien de Campodios". Catherine and I have been reading the book at the same time. The conclusions where for both +/- the same.
