Dama blanca (The White Lady)

A young inspector faces the theft of a Mayan statuette that reveals a secret hidden since World War II: the trail leading to a Nazi treasure.

Madrid, winter 2025. A violent robbery shakes the gallery of Isaac Toledo, one of the most influential art dealers in Spain. The loot: a valuable Mayan statuette known as the White Lady. What first appears to be a masterstroke soon becomes the trigger for a conspiracy involving Nazi secrets, business rivalries and personal vendettas.

The investigation falls to the Historical Heritage Brigade of the National Police, where young Deputy Inspector Débora Fortuny struggles to earn the respect of a team that underestimates her. The daughter of a missing artist accused of forgery, Débora also pursues an intimate obsession: discovering what happened to her father, a mystery that might be connected to Toledo himself. At her side, seasoned Inspector Jaime Mena embodies skepticism; opposite her, the cold and calculating Commissioner Matilde de Dios sets the rules.

Initial suspicion falls on Marcelo Saavedra, Toledo’s former partner and now his rival, owner of a powerful auction house. After his arrest, Saavedra insists he is only an intermediary for Novak S.A., a company linked to the enigmatic Diem family, a clan of German industrialists. Meanwhile, Toledo makes his own moves: he manipulates Débora by offering clues about her father, and—with the help of his brutal bodyguard, Marcos Pérez—takes justice into his own hands.

The thief is identified as Nicolai Bejenaru, a Romanian art specialist. But before he can reveal the truth, he is silenced in a hospital by a contract killer. Even so, he manages to confess to Débora that the statuette hid something far more valuable and that it had been moved to a safety deposit box. The discovery confirms the growing suspicions: the piece is connected to Franz Diem, a former Nazi who took refuge in Spain, and who hid inside it a key to locating a cache of plundered art from World War II.

The climax unfolds in Saavedra’s mansion, where Toledo—stopping at nothing—recovers the White Lady. Back at his gallery, he breaks the figure and accesses the secret it contains. Officially, the case is closed without answers, but Débora isn’t fooled: she has tracked Toledo closely and confronts him. He admits nothing, yet offers her a dangerous bargain—become his privileged informant and receive the first real lead about her missing father.

Débora manages to crown herself the “White Lady” of the board, proving her worth. But her victory comes at a cost: her personal life collapses, and her alliance with Toledo drags her into a dark game where justice and obsession blur, and a new horizon of secrets threatens to unfold.

RELEVANT INFORMATION: Mario Escobar is a novelist, essayist and lecturer, and a bestselling author with more than one million books sold worldwide. His works have been translated into over 10 languages.

The White Lady is a thriller that blends crime fiction with historical intrigue and the fast-paced rhythm of a heist movie.

With iconic settings, chases, interrogations and constant plot twists, the work offers a perfect product for an audiovisual adaptation. In the vein of titles like The Da Vinci Code or Babylon Berlin, it adds the distinction of being set in Spain—though it can be adapted anywhere.

AUDIOVISUAL POTENTIAL: TV Series, Miniseries, Feature Film, TV Movie

AVAILABLE LANGUAGES: Spanish.