Nero is dead. Rome is in a state of civil war. Ten-year old Lucilla isn't worried-until the night her father, a powerful senator, is assassinated. She and her sister flee their home only to be ambushed by enemies who make their mission clear: the girls must die. Inspired by her father's lessons, Lucilla surprises and kills one attacker. The second seems to spare her on a whim ... leaving Lucilla the only witness to his super-human strength and speed. God or monster, Lucilla doesn't care. He's promised to return; she vows to be ready. In her new home in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, Lucilla grows into a young woman desperate to balance her family's wishes against her desire for revenge. However, the more she learns about the mysterious assassin, the deeper she's entangled in a pursuit where her death appears the only outcome. So Lucilla does the one thing a reasonable, well-bred Roman girl should never do: she takes up the sword. But choices have consequences, and some journeys have no return.