The Roman Empire in its death-throes provides the background for this superb historical novel that recreates the experiences of one man trying to cope with his changing world. The time is an age of violence and disintegration, when the old values of Imperial Rome are under attack from all sides-from the outside by waves of Goths and Vandals, and from within by the followers of a fanatical new Eastern sect who worship the Christos.

In the midst of the chaos is Sergius Paullus, a young Roman whose spirit is as troubled as the Empire. From childhood Sergius dreams of the glory of being a soldier, but instead must be content with schooling and the games of children. Finally, his impetuous nature prods him to an act of rebellion that changes his life. Forced to leave home, he embarks of a trail of adventure that leads from the tenements of Rome to a series of military escapades in Hispania, Rome, and Gaul, and ultimately to a climactic battle in Britannia, where Sergius leads a doomed resistance to the barbarians.