A Phoenician merchant embarks on sea voyages and, through a series of deaths, long sleeps, and rebirths, experiences multiple historical incarnations across centuries — as a Roman centurion, a Saxon thane, a monk revered as a saint, and a medieval knight who fights at Crecy — while a recurring companion pursues and sacrifices for him in various guises. The narrative links adventurous episodes with reflections on soul, karma, and the persistence of personal identity, presenting an episodic panorama of changing peoples and religions as the protagonist gradually awakens in later ages to record his cumulative memories.