The year 40 AD is drawing to a close, the last gasp of Caligula's demented reign. Rome dominates the world, but something is festering at the heart of the Empire. Slaves are disappearing, the bodies of the dead are being stolen and mysterious shipments arrive from Egypt in the dead of night.
Barbarian gladiator Boda was brought to Rome in chains as a prisoner of war. She hates her captors and their decadent city, but when she uncovers a plot to breach the barrier between life and death, she realises that she may be the Empire's only hope.