Zagor and Chico have departed from California and are wandering under the blinding sun of the Arizona desert. They are rescued by the Hopi Indians and make the acquaintance of the shaman Masewi and his daughter, the lovely Shumavi. Masewi tells them about Pahana, the white brother of the Hopi, who taught the Anasazi (the ancestors of the Hopi) the path of peace. He also speaks of the legendary Seven Cities of Cibola, coveted by certain ruthless white men.
The Hopi village is attacked by marauding Navajos led by the proud Nakai, but Zagor’s intervention averts disaster. A few days later, Nakai’s Navajos ally themselves with Don Emiliano Sombra, the governor of Arizona, and Don Diego de Coronado. They kidnap Shumavi and Masewi in order to force the shaman to guide them to the legendary Cities of Cibola. The Navajos want to recover their Sacred Tablets there, while the two white men aim to discover the location of the Seven Cities so they can plunder their fabulous riches.
Zagor, Chico, and a group of Hopi warriors set off in pursuit of the kidnappers, but the journey to the Seven Cities is long and arduous, and fearsome guardians stand watch over them. Eventually, everyone arrives at the city with golden rooftops, the last and most important of the Seven Cities of Cibola, where two major revelations occur. The citadel turns out to be a hidden Mu-Atlantean laboratory, tying into a crossover with Martin Mystère, and there is mention of a Timeless War. During the expedition, a robot is destroyed, resembling the Mu automaton from Martin Mystère N. 24 and N. 25, titled “Viaggio nel futuro.”
During the final reckoning, Don Emiliano and Don Diego’s greed is punished by the Anasazi’s advanced technology, while Nakai, who has fallen in love with Shumavi, realizes his mistakes and joins forces with Zagor. Nakai is pardoned by the Hopi council of elders, regains the Sacred Tablets, and marries Shumavi. In a delightful final touch, the Sacred Tablets also feature a reference to Tex Willer as the future white chief of the Navajos, which serves as the perfect cherry on top of an extraordinary story.
