Sarantium is the golden city: holy to the faithful, jewel of the world. The western mosaicist Crispin has arrived in the glittering capital to begin work inside a grand sanctuary. Confronting the challenges of his art high on the scaffolding of destiny, he discovers that no one can withdraw from the dangerous affairs of court and city. For Rustem, a physician from the east, a fateful moment as he saves the life of his own king sends him on a course toward the opulence of Sarantium. Reluctantly, he finds himself drawn into a web of intrigue--to discover that his own path will have to go far beyond that of a healer.