In this book Philip Trevasco, an Edinburgh archaeologist, and Rosalind Bernaud, an Australian artist, meet on the excavation of Kara Tepe, in North West Iran. They discover a coin minted by Alexander the Great, and a cryptic bronze tablet that leads them to the schemes of Harpalos, the boyhood friend and corrupt treasurer to Alexander. What is his link with Rahina, the Armenian queen, and her Amazon warriors, who struggle to survive in Alexander's empire? The modern and ancient stories collide as Philip and Rosalind risk so much to find answers, and each other, in the dangerous world of the Shah.