Optio Lucius Petronius is living a nightmare. Jewish rebels under their charismatic leader, Shimeon bar Kokhbar, have driven his legion from Judaea, capturing the Imperator Hadrian’s new colony of Aelia Capitolina. The legion may have saved its eagle, but its honour is badly tarnished. Now the Romans have regrouped and plan a campaign to crush the rebellion. They are ready to reclaim Judaea, but they will be proven wrong. For Lucius, the nightmare worsens, finding himself the focus of an investigation by the Imperator’s Secret Service, the Frumentarii, when he learns devastating family news from Rome. As Rome’s losses grow, Lucius believes legionary tactics may not be effective in the hills of Judaea. He and an ex-gladiator construct a novel strategy to fight the rebels, but will senior officers accept it? His one solace is a Jewish farm girl, a healer from the hills of Judaea and a Nazarene, a strange match and a further complication in Lucius’ life. The hills of Judaea will be awash with Roman and Jewish blood before the revolt is over.