Rome's ruling regent is rumored to be weak. It is said she is under the thumb of her powerful master of soldiers, but few know the real Galla Placidia, a cunning and ruthless adversary capable of holding together a crumbling Empire long enough to hand it off to her son, Placidius, who is on his way to Constantinople to be wed and to don the purple as Emperor Valentinian III.
En route, Placidius comes into possession of a letter allegedly written by his mother to advise him. The letter details the incredible story of her life, from her kidnapping by a barbarian king, through the scandal that drove her into exile, to her tempestuous romance with a dashing yet power-hungry rogue whose presence has complicated both their lives.
Purportedly Galla Placidia wants to prepare her son for the trials ahead, but Placidius is suspicious. Is the letter authentic, or is someone trying to manipulate him by pretending to be his mother? As they draw closer to Constantinople, murder and betrayal transpire, and Placidius is faced with a burning question. Is his mother the woman who he thinks she is, or is she another rival threatening to deprive him of the throne?