In the waning days of the Roman republic, the adventures of Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger have taken him from one end of the empire to the other, usually fleeing from trouble just to find himself in more trouble wherever he ends up going. Decius's heart belongs to Rome, however. With a family as impressive as his name sounds, a close friendship with the leader of one of Rome's most powerful street gangs, and a marriage to the niece of Julius Caesar, he has finally taken the first step on Rome's political ladder, with an election to the lowly office of aedile.

As aedile, Decius's most important responsibility is to buy the people's love by staging elaborate games, filled with wild beasts and ferocious gladiatorial combat, all enormously expensive and paid for out of the aedile's own pocket. Decius does have to squeeze in his more mundane obligations, though, such as maintaining records, clearing the sewers, and generally keeping Rome from falling apart.

When Decius's official responsibilities require him to investigate the collapse of a tenement building, his sense of duty won't allow him to write it off as just another example of greedy slumlords using shoddy materials. As Decius's hunt for justice implicates some of Rome's most powerful figures, so powerful that even Cicero can't help Decius, he must turn for help to a most unlikely ally.