With Hadassah confined to the cells below the arena, facing death once again, and his sister Julia dying of a strange new illness and longing for a forgiveness beyond her reach, Marcus goes in search of God. Meanwhile, Atretes, the Germanic warrior and former gladiator, vows to move heaven and earth to find his son―the baby he thought was dead and whose life Hadassah saved―and take him back to Germania. Only one thing stands in his way: Rizpah, a Christian widow who has cared for the baby since his birth. Atretes did not count on Rizpah’s fiery resistance to having “her son” taken away, nor is he prepared for the woman’s strength and beauty. From their first meeting, the two are caught in a stormy battle of wills.
