Two changes are made to the storyline of the stage musical: first is the reason for Cervantes' imprisonment. The play begins with Cervantes and his manservant entering the dungeon, after which we learn that Cervantes incurred the wrath of the Inquisition by issuing a lien on a monastery that would not pay its taxes. But in the film's opening scene, we see a colorful festival in the town square, during which Cervantes stages a play that openly lampoons the Inquisition, thereby leading to his arrest on the spot. He and his manservant are then taken to the prison. (In contrast to the real life Cervantes, arrested for unpaid financial debts and sentenced to debtors' prison; though serving several jail terms, he was never found guilty of crime. Cervantes was later excommunicated for "excessive zeal" in securing provisions for the Spanish Armada: gathering corn from Church storehouses.)