The protagonist of the novel, Frankie (a.k.a. Francisco Rubio or Francisco de Asîs Pascual Presto) is arguably one of the most gifted guitar players of all time. He was given his musical abilities at birth (or, as Music says, Frankie took them from him when he was born), and from a very early age, it was clear that he was incredibly talented. His ability to play the guitar and sing, combined with his good looks and ability to dance, eventually made him a superstar. However, he gives it all up, realizing that music and money are two very different entities.

Frankie is best described as passionate, and his two biggest passions in life are music and Aurora. When he is younger, he confuses his passion for music with his desire to have an audience for his music, but as he grows older, he comes to find that music has nothing to do with fame, and in fact, fame detracts from the true pursuit of music. His passion for Aurora remains constant; in his youth, this passion is immature, and he lets his desire for fame get in the way of their relationship. As he grows older and lets go of fame, he becomes solely devoted to Aurora.