Rome, 45–44 BCE. Caesar returns from civil war as dictator and receives powers and honours that alarm even men who once supported him. Fronto watches former soldiers attempt to resume private lives while senators, clients and disappointed allies interpret every ceremony as evidence that monarchy is approaching.
Rumours of conspiracy gather around Brutus, Cassius and Decimus Brutus as Mark Antony and Caesar’s loyalists struggle to read the danger. Fronto’s long service leaves him torn between affection for the commander he followed and fear for the Republic that commander has transformed. The series closes at the Ides of March, where victory abroad ends in political murder at home.