Part 1

Jonathan's Uncle Simeon arrives in Ostia with astounding news: Jonathan's mother might be alive and a slave of the emperor Titus.

Jonathan convinces Simeon to take him to Rome and infiltrate the Imperial Palace. But there are also three assassins on their way to the palace.

When Simeon is recognized as an ex-zealot, he and Jonathan are imprisoned and tortured by the emperor's younger brother, Domitian.

Part 2

Flavia and her friends go to Rome to rescue Jonathan from Nero's hated Golden House, now slave-quarters for Jewish captives. Once inside, they find secret passages and hidden rooms.

Meanwhile, Jonathan learns that his mother is alive, but that she is loved by Titus. Will the Emperor let her return to her husband and children?

And what about the three assassins and their deadly mission?