AD 406 Abandoned by his friends and hounded by his enemies, Roman cavalry commander Marcus Flavius Victor is forced to flee an increasingly fractured Britannia with a small band of loyal warriors. His journey takes him north through the stormy, pirate-infested seas of the Mare Germanicum to Saxonia, where his son Brenus has languished as a slave for six long years. Marcus is able to rescue Brenus, but at a terrible cost, and further disaster threatens when his escape route is blocked, leaving the Britons trapped in a strange land with enemies on every hand. Their only salvation lies with Marcus’s old comrade, General Stilicho, beyond the far Danuvius, in the sanctuary of the Empire. It means a journey of many hundreds of miles through the dark heart of barbarism and, unknown to Marcus, Stilicho has troubles of his own. His influence with Emperor Honorius is diminished and a great people are on the march, leaving a sea of bones in their wake. Savage Radagaisus, king of the Ostrogoths, has promised his subjects all the riches of Italia and a new future. As he battles his way towards safety, Marcus stumbles across a secret which could decide the very fate of the Empire. But who can he really trust, and can he reach Stilicho in time, with his every step dogged by a son who wants him dead?