Casca returns to the city of Constantinople seeking vengeance on the Brotherhood of the Lamb for the deaths of his woman and child, but to reach the man he wants more than any other he must find a way into the inner chambers of the Imperial Court. So he trains as a charioteer to gain imperial favour, but the Eternal Mercenary soon discovers that every success brings new dangers, where intrigue and betrayal lurk hand in hand.

Casca’s quest takes him from the speed and excitement of the Hippodrome to the ravaged war-torn land of Italy, from the sun-baked lands of Persia to the sumptuous luxury of the Empress's bed chamber, where a wrong move or word could spell disaster in his plans to bring down the fanatical sect. And when he finally confronts the man he has sought to destroy, he finds his powers of strength and immortality are no match for intrigue, double-crossing and imperial protection.