 The hated colonel Mefisto Palomarez returns waving a royal re-grant of all lands in the territory- to him, so he takes residence at the de la Vega hacienda, but accepts don Alejandro s suggestion to have the document authenticated by an impartial non-land owner: sergeant Mendoza. Thanks to ever loyal Felipe, Diego learns the colonel plans to sell the pueblo to the Britton Bickel. Zorro manages to look at the parchment and finds it a brilliant forgery, but gets scarred by Palomarez with a mysterious deadly poison...