Gaius Petreius Ruso, doctor to the Legions, is about to return home to Gaul after many years' absence. Little does he realize the letter summoning him back has been forged, or that the sunny Mediterranean lifestyle conceals a dark threat lurking at every corner. His family are in horrific debt to dangerous men and when the principal creditor, Severus, is poisoned in the Ruso home they become the primary suspects in his murder.