In ancient times, Melitene is ravaged by violence, poverty, addiction, and unrest. The new governor, Trebonius, is charged by the emperor to bring stability to the island. He seeks the counsel of two leading Melitenians who represent diametrically opposed worldviews. Solon is a humble seeker of his Creator. Alacerius believes only in man-made solutions, with himself in charge. Alacerius wins the governor's favor and begins implementing his program of atheism, the corruption of morals, collectivization, coerced population control, and imprisonment or worse for all who oppose him. Trebonius sends his seventeen-year-old son, Publius, to live incognito among the people to gauge how Alacerius' reforms are affecting them. At the school in the main city of Mathos, Publius meets sixteen-year-old Amoenitas and her temperamental younger sister, Eletia. Publius and the two sisters soon find themselves entangled in a labyrinth of murder, deception, intrigue, real and misplaced romance, a prophetic dream about a messenger of hope, and historical events that affect the world to this day. The players on the world stage have changed with the generations. Science has advanced. But one constant has always remained-the relentless struggle between two kingdoms that has raged from the time before time.