Massilia, 49 BC. Gordianus enters the city during Caesar’s siege after receiving a message that his son Meto, who has been working as a double agent, is dead. Cut off from reliable news, he must move among Roman exiles and Massilian leaders who regard every stranger as a possible spy.
When Gordianus sees a young woman fall from the Sacrifice Rock, her death becomes entangled with his search for Meto. Famine, religious ritual and divided loyalties turn the murder inquiry into a study of a city trying to preserve its independence while defeat approaches.