Hailed a 'Hero of Rome', Valerius is not the man he once was - scarred both physically and emotionally by the battles he has fought. The Emperor Nero grows increasingly paranoid. Those who seek power for themselves whisper darkly in the emperor's ears. They speak of a new threat, a new religious sect, the followers of Christus. Nero calls on his 'Hero of Rome' to become 'Defender of Rome' to seek out this rebel sect. But as Valerius begins his search, a quest that will take him to the edge of the Empire, he will discover that success may cost him nearly as much as failure.