In war-torn Judea, merchant Samara has enriched her family, yet money can't mend her broken heart. The Romans exiled her fiance Caleb for defying their iron rule, so she's been lashing out at Rome, supporting the underground rebels. Roman ruler Valerius hunts down the terrorists while struggling with bitter memories of a bad marriage and an unnerving conflict with his brother Marcus Aurelius, soon to be Emperor. Valerius meets Samara on a Jerusalem street as she tries to help an injured boy. His loyalty to Rome is overruled by his passion for her, while her love for this Roman oppressor fills...