A barbarian warrior, an enemy of Rome.
A sheltered young woman, the daughter of a Roman officer.
An unlikely love, threatened by the bloody strife at the borders of Roman Empire.

AD 190: When a fever ravages her father's fort and kills her family, Livia has to leave Britannia behind and make a new home for herself in Rome. Lost in a world of grief, she finds little delight in the glittering capital of the empire. Nothing can penetrate the grey fog of her grief—except for the cool blue eyes of the slave Leontius, a barbarian warrior, a former gladiator, a man she ought to fear. And yet, she cannot help but crave his touch, even though he is an enemy of Rome; even though, should he ever manage to flee, he would unleash the anger of his tribe upon the border of the empire.