14 AD. Rome’s first emperor, Augustus, is dead.

The Empire’s new leader, Tiberius, is vulnerable. As mutinous legions rise and Tiberius struggles to control even his own formidable mother, Livia, the ripples of uncertainty reach even the shores of Tomis on the Black Sea. There, the exiled poet Ovid dares to hope that a new emperor will finally bring him home.

But Rome has a long memory and Ovid’s old enemy Sejanus is now the ruthless commander of the Praetorian Guard. His agent Philemon, once Ovid’s own servant, arrives in Tomis with orders to assess the exile’s loyalty. 

When Ovid’s wife recognises Philemon, the spy vanishes, only to be found murdered on the road out of Tomis. With Rome demanding answers, suspicion turns  As the shadows close in, Ovid finally pieces together the dreadful truth behind his own banishment.