Messalina Claudia and Marcus Galerius Alexius desperately search for Messalina's friend, Nonia Rosa. But this pursuit uncovers the political underbelly of greed, lust, and violence from the first citizens in the ancient Roman city of Herculaneum. Messi and Alexius risk everything-- their families' reputation, his future as a Roman senator, and even their lives beneath the shadows of a very restless volcano...Vesuvius, where Vulcan's wrath simmers.