The traveling Frenchman Foucard impresses the pueblo, even ever-skeptic Don Diego, as magician and pickpocket, then romances Victoria and performs various science-based services to various villagers. Sergeant Mendoza must command the protection of a gold shipment, but as earlier near San Francisco, it is robbed by someone who uses a fireball. Even Zorro was too late and finds Foucard asleep, from a distance. Diego shows Felipe the chemical properties of pyrosulphate solve two of Foucard's mysteries: how the magician 'revived' an apparently dead dove

Sebastian Moreno, an author from Spain, arrives in the pueblo to write the story of Zorro and his true identity. He soon witnesses the hero saving Victoria and some guests from two robbers; he ignores how close he is while he is Don Alejandro's guest at the de la Vega hacienda, but accidentally triggers the secret mechanism of the fireplace door, luckily seen by Diego in time to stop him entering. The alcalde makes sergeant Mendoza follow Moreno everywhere for weeks, to no avail.