Jerusalem and the Sinai Desert, first millennium AD. In the tumultuous climate after the crucifixion of Jesus, officials of the Roman Empire acquire information about a pilgrim carrying a subversive letter from a religious fanatic to the rebels in Corinth. The content of this letter could overthrow the empire. The Romans hire a former legionnaire, the reclusive warrior Telamon from Arcadia, to intercept the letter and capture the messenger. Telamon operates with a dark code entirely his own, with no room for noble causes or high beliefs. However, once he catches him, something occurs that neither he nor the empire could have foreseen. In his first novel about the ancient world in thirteen years, the best-selling author of 'Gates of Fire' and 'Tides of War' returns with a gripping saga of conquest and rebellion, bloodshed and faith.