King Basilio, fearful by what the stars announce to him about his son Sigismund, locks him up in a tower apart from the rest of the men. For years, Clotaldo, his guardian, will be his only company. When a long time later the king makes him return to the palace, Sigismund's anger causes chaos and a new condemnation of the king ..., but the people will intervene, acclaiming the freedom of Sigismund against Basilio's will. Life is a dream can be presented without hesitation as one of the most representative works of Spanish literature and, without a doubt, as the masterpiece of CalderÓn de la Barca, clergyman and humanist, who knew how to answer the dilemma between predestination and free will, one of the essential themes of baroque thought.