Rome, 56 B.C.: The great general Pompey has conquered the East. Julius Caesar is defeating the Gauls. Only Egypt, with its strategic granaries and vast treasuries of gold, still eludes the grasp of Rome. In recent days several Egyptian envoys have been viciously assassinated. Fearing that he will be next, the Egyptian ambassador Dio calls on his old friend Gordianus the Finder and all of his special skills for help. Thinking that he is investigating a straightforward political crime, Gordianus is instead plunged into the decadent milieu of Rome, where nothing is quite what it seems. The notorious beauty Clodia, the arrogant advocate Marcus Caelius, the lovesick poet Catullus, the eunuch priest Trygonian, the master politician Cicero - all are players in a deadly, seductive game of lust and murder. Poison, betrayals, and long-buried secrets confront Gordianus as events rush to their resolution in one of history's most famous trials. But even after the verdict is delivered, there are still secrets to be uncovered....