Publisher's Synopsis
After Marcus Licinius Crassus's army suffered the crushing defeat near Carrhae by the Parthians, the legate Latium Cornelius Scipio is captured and there is no chance for his friends in Rome to neither redeem nor free him. His life like the lives of his fellow-warriors turns into a continuous series of torments, until those who survived the Parthians bloody entertainment are sent to the north of the Parthia to build a local ruler's palace. Along the way in the mountains they are ambushed by bandits, who are going to kill them all. However, Latium's experience saves them in this terrible situation and the local satrap promises him to think about the release after completion of construction. After experiencing many difficulties the Romans finally come to this city of Merv, and Latium spends several years building the palace and the city walls. However, his unintentional participation in the court intrigues between the ruler's wife and sister leads to Latium's friends' death. Danger looms over him too and he cannot even imagine how the fate is going to dispose of his life soon.
