AD 392. The young emperor, Valentinian, lies dead at the hands of his protector, plunging the Western Roman Empire into chaos.
Marcus Aelius Celer, a young Roman nobleman, is forced to flee for his life when his family home in Rome is attacked in the dead of night. Hunted across Italy by agents of the new regime, Celer flees east towards Constantinople and the eastern court of Emperor Theodosius.
Stripped of his family, his future and rank, Celer is desperate for revenge. Given a chance by Stilicho, Theodosius's most trusted general, Celer is trained as a legionary on the brutal Danube frontier.
Out of the chaos, the future of the Roman world will be decided by a final clash between East and West. On the banks of the Frigidus River, they will fight for the fate of the empire and Celer will claim his vengeance.