Alysia of Athens, pampered daughter of a wealthy physician, is taken from her home and sold into slavery when her father is accused of treason during the turbulent reign of Tiberius Caesar. She is purchased by Paulus Valerius, a powerful Roman legate, who pierces through her determination to hate her captors. When trouble caused by his jealous stepbrother forces her to run away, she finds herself in the battle-torn land of Palestine, where she meets a man named Jesus—and her life is forever changed.