Auriane, warrior maiden of the Chattian tribe, was sworn to remove the cursed Romans from the lands of the Rhine. Then fate she was captured, brought to Rome in chains, and trained to fight in the arenas as a gladiator - only to fall in love with a Roman aristocrat, Marcus Arrius Julianus, and become his wife. Marcus and Auriane have lived in tranquility for years but, without his knowledge, Auriane is a traitor to Rome. Plundering her husband's coffers for nearly a decade, Auriane has provided her people with enough wealth to arm themselves. Now, Auriane's betrayal has been discovered, and if her duplicity reaches the Roman authorities, her life - and the lives of her family - will be forfeit.