Against a tumultuous backdrop of earthquakes, plague and civil unrest Emperor Justinian I is determined to take back the lost Western Roman Empire from the Vandals and the Goths. At any cost. Born an illiterate peasant's son, he rose to become the most powerful man in the world. And behind this great man was a great woman – Theodora. An actress and courtesan, she rose to be Justinian's equal in love, power and politics. Justinian, heartbroken after her early death, would become for ever known as The Sleepless One.