The year is 596 B.C. Kingdoms and empires rise and fall, carrying men along with the inexorable insistence of a vast desert storm. Kasher, a young Mesopotamian man, determines to become a part of the empire of the great Nebuchadnezzar II, only to find himself on the battlefield not only of men, but of the gods. What do the great symbols of Babylon - lions, dragons, gods and demi-gods - really mean: or are they merely for show? His journey is one of mysticism, treachery and love. The world in which he moves is filled with symbolism, rivalry and beauty. His true quest, however, reaches much deeper - into his own soul.