A.D. 526 The earth shakes like a beast awakening. Now Antioch, once the glory of Rome, lies in ruins—a broken-backed man that cannot stand. 

Marcellus, a young Byzantine nobleman, takes up sword and wits to protect his young neighbors against wild animals, wild men, and a wild God they do not understand. 

Now they must survive a 700 mile journey to Constantinople to find their missing father and restore their lost fortune. But it comes at a terrible price.