'Cacat! Domitian needed something to get him through the frustration of dealing with Titus. Dragging the container closer, he extracted another fly. Holding it steady, he pierced its body with a long needle. Then he watched it squirm.'
70 A.D. Emperor Vespasian rules Rome after a period of great turmoil. His eldest son, Titus, returns in triumph after the siege of Jerusalem, as his younger brother Domitian seethes with jealousy. Mentally unstable and corrupt, he conspires to overthrow Titus after Vespasian's death.
Celadus, a young Gaul, is sold into slavery to fight in Rome's arenas. He falls in love with the beautiful daughter of Flavius, commander of the Praetorian Guard. Their lives become intertwined with those of the conspirators as Titus fights for survival.
Set against plague and fire in Rome and the devastation of Pompeii, brother plots against brother in a battle to the death for the ultimate prize, - control of the Roman Empire, - and a forbidden love struggles to survive, as fate plays its hand.