It is 414 A.D. and the once-powerful Roman Empire is in its death throes—split between East and West, menaced by barbarian hordes almost literally at its gates. The Emperor Honorious cowers in the marsh-bound city of Ravenna, where he has moved the government. There is the Prefect Hadrian, a powerful official and fanatical Christian convert; Marcus Anicius, the pagan aristocrat who is clinging to a dyping past, and the Jew Eliezar ben Elijah, hemmed in by his own traditions and burdened by his dark vision of the future.

"Rich in psychological and historical detail, with both the characters and ancient Rome vibrantly alive: a subtle, quiet tale eloquently told." — Kirkus Reviews