In the midst of the growing tumult, a young man from the Empire's hinterlands grudgingly heads to Imperial City. There, Claudio-Valens sees firsthand the weak, treasonous Imperial Council that aids foreign enemies, and finds himself at the center of the fight to save the country he loves.
What follows is a tale of desert queens and legionaries, of mad girls with great gifts and scheming highborn ladies, of gods both human and divine, that will forever transform the world they know.