Titus Porcinianus Pullus has settled into life as a Centurion of the 1st Legion, stationed on the Rhine, but a revolt in his home province of Pannonia changes everything, both for him and for Rome. When the aging Augustus sends the young, untested Germanicus Julius Caesar to Pannonia at the head of a hastily assembled force, Tiberius summons Titus to return to his home province. Ostensibly sent to both advise and protect the youngster in whom the Princeps has placed so much hope, Titus quickly learns that Tiberius' motives are, at best, suspect, when the Germanicus Legion is sent against the Maezei, the tribe that murdered Titus' brother Sextus, the first in a series of events that required Titus' transfer from his original Legion after he avenged Sextus' death. Consequently, once more, a member of the Pullus family finds himself embroiled in the machinations and maneuvering of the second most powerful man in Rome, as Tiberius tries to ensure that his position as likely heir to the aging Augustus is not challenged by a talented, charismatic young Roman, in the form of Germanicus. Ultimately, Titus will be faced with a choice--following his heart and helping Germanicus achieve fame and glory or heeding the implicit but clear orders from the man who controls his fate in Tiberius, who is threatened by the talented youngster clearly on the rise in the eyes of Augustus.