The city of Odalia, capital of Lycania and home to the famed White Palace, is the most beautiful place in all of the Empire - at least to the citizens within her walls. Those not privileged to live within them are deemed unworthy and looked upon as savages.
But, as the Empire begins to crack due to the ever-growing delusions of her ruler, Tiberius, the world around Lycania soon becomes a battle, not for the heart of the Empire, but for survival itself.
Even as the contenders for Odalia's future start to move into place, personal stories of love, lust, betrayal and triumph begin to emerge:
Timonus, the General of Tiberius' armies and his childhood friend, is torn between loyalty and honor as he must decide which path to take - even if it means betraying his lifelong friend and country.
The reluctant gladiator, Juko, is being forced to fight against his will in the Amphitheater in order to discover the truth about his brother's suspected murder.
Outside of the city, rebellion stirs within the young outcasts of Odalia's poorest district who have recently joined forces with the local sorceress guild - the darkly sensual but extremely dangerous Veneficas.
The Cavalli tribe, Lycania's ancient enemies to the South, plot revenge against the Empire for old wounds but first, they must discover why the monstrous and bloodthirsty Gigantes have suddenly reappeared in startling numbers.
In the midst of all the chaos, a child is born in secret, under cover of darkness. Tiberius' fanatical laws have outlawed her very existence but when a kind-hearted soldier hides her within the palace nursery, will her clandestine origins be discovered as she's raised among the Emperor's own concubines?
