It is the sixteenth century. From all over Europe, great ships sail west to conquer the New World, the Americas. The men are eager to seek their fortune, to find new adventures in new lands. They long to cross uncarted seas and discover unknown countries; to find secret gold on a mountain trail high in the Andes. They dream of following the path of the setting sun that leads to El Dorado, and the Mysterious Cities of Gold. Three children Esteban, Tao and Zia set out on an adventure across the Americas to find the Mysterious Cities of Gold. Neither Esteban, a Spanish orphan who can command the sun, and Zia, an Inca girl kidnapped from her people, have any interest in gold. Their only dream is that their quest will lead them to their missing fathers, and they hope the strange medallions they both wear may hold the key to the cities location. Tao, last decedent of the legendary empire of Hiva, believes the cities could reveal long-lost secrets about his heritage and the strange jar he has been left by his ancestors. They are joined on their journey by Spanish navigator Mendoza, and his two sailing friends Sancho and Pedro men who seek to plunder the cities of its wealth. With the aid of the magnificent Golden Condor, their adventure takes them to the empire of the Incas, being ravaged by the invading Spanish; to the vast Amazon rain forest, where they encounter fierce female warriors; and finally to the land of the Mayas, far to the north. But they are not alone in their quest with treasure-hungry Spaniards, greedy Mayan traitors and tyrannical Olmecs hoping to ensure they never find their way to the Mysterious Cities of Gold.