The Queen of Ichnusa (La reina de Ichnusa)

After the death of her son, a woman travels to Sardinia and becomes entangled in a conspiracy determined to restore the island’s independence, while a young intelligence agent races against time to save her from a fate shaped by history, revenge, and political intrigue.

In 2018, during Barcelona’s Sant Jordi festivities, a young Sardinian man named Nano approaches writer Óscar Hernández-Campano to have a book signed. The following day, Nano’s mother, Helena Sulis—a former Italian intelligence officer—reveals a long-buried secret. In 1999, she took part in the investigation into the disappearance of Eleonora Bas-Serra, a Catalan woman of Sardinian descent who was officially declared dead. The truth, however, was far more dangerous: Eleonora had been crowned queen by a Sardinian independence movement and later hidden away by the Italian government in a secret institution. Helena entrusts the writer with Eleonora’s memoirs so that her story can finally be told.

Through those memoirs, Eleonora recounts a life marked by loss. Born in Molins de Rei to a Sardinian father and a Catalan mother, she lost her father in an industrial accident, later lost her husband in another tragedy, and eventually suffered the death of her son Federico in Sardinia under suspicious circumstances. Shortly before his death, Federico sent her an ancient Nuragic amulet that would become a symbol of her destiny. Determined to uncover the truth, Eleonora travels to Sardinia, only to be kidnapped upon arrival at Cagliari airport by Baquisio Melcis—known as Baqui—a militant member of the RLI (Resistance for the Freedom of Ichnusa). She soon discovers that her lineage traces back to the medieval ruler Eleonora of Arborea and that Sardinian separatists consider her the rightful heir to an ancient crown.

Accompanied by Baqui, Eleonora journeys across Sardinia, visiting villages, Nuragic sites, and ancestral ceremonies where she is welcomed as a sovereign. Elders and families bless her as queen, she receives a ring symbolizing her royal inheritance, and she learns a devastating truth: her son’s death was not an accident but part of a conspiracy designed to extinguish her bloodline. Along the way, she finds in Baqui not only a guide and ally but also an impossible love that inspires her to embrace her destiny.

Meanwhile, Helena Sulis, then a young SISMI intelligence officer, is assigned to investigate Eleonora’s disappearance. Her inquiry brings her into conflict with Commissioner Ernesto Quaglioni, a man obsessed with destroying the Bas-Serra family because of old personal grievances. With the help of fellow agent Ismaele Cadeddu, Helena uncovers Operation Nuraga —a covert government strategy designed to allow the separatists’ symbolic coronation before crushing the movement once and for all. During her investigation, she meets Hugo Bas-Serra, Eleonora’s grandfather and founder of the independence movement, who confirms his granddaughter’s royal lineage shortly before his death.

The story reaches its climax on the night of August 11, during a solar eclipse. At the ancient Nuraga Arrubiu site, Baqui crowns Eleonora as Queen of Ichnusa. The ceremony is violently interrupted by Quaglioni, who shoots and kills Baqui. Eleonora confronts him and ultimately overcomes him with the help of her dogs, but victory is short-lived. She is immediately captured by state forces. Officially a kidnapping victim, she is secretly confined to a government institution, where she gives birth to Baqui’s son, Mariano, only to have the child taken away from her.

In the epilogue, the final secret is revealed: Mariano was adopted by Helena Sulis and raised as Nano. Now an adult, Nano finally uncovers the truth about his origins, his mother, and the extraordinary destiny that has shaped his life.

RELEVANT INFORMATION: Óscar Hernández-Campano is a Spanish novelist and short-story writer, recipient of the Museari Literary Award for his body of work, as well as the Odisea Prize and the Beatriz Vicente Prize.

The Queen of Ichnusa is a compelling blend of crime fiction, political thriller, and historical narrative. Combining suspense, action, mythology, and emotional drama, the novel follows a powerful protagonist whose transformation—from grieving mother to symbolic queen determined to liberate her people—provides the story with its emotional core. Themes of identity, political oppression, family legacy, and personal sacrifice are interwoven into a narrative rich with mystery and historical resonance.

Its combination of political intrigue, action, romance, and mythology gives it exceptional audiovisual potential, offering the scale of a historical thriller and the emotional depth of an intimate family drama.

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

AVAILABLE LANGUAGES: Spanish.