412 CE: From a dinner party in Verulamium, two journeys begin through the chaos and confusion of the late Roman Empire from Britannia, through Gaul and on to Rome. Ophelia Ursina, daughter of the governor of Britannia Prima, is seeking freedom and security. Drusus Astrebanus, so of the governor's arch enemy, is seeking vengeance for the death of his brother and the return of his family's property and status. In the wake of the failed uprising of General Flavius Claudius Constantinus, the usurper and co-Emperor Constantine III, the risks have only become greater as barbarians from the east infest the fading state. The rule of law no longer applies, and violence becomes the only defense. This is a dangerous world for men, and even more so for women.