Once-mighty Roman Empire has split into West and East and is going through hard times. Christian bishoprics rival each other, heretical sects and pagan cults fight for the souls of people, and in the sprawling lands of a crumbling empire chaos reigns. Thorn, a monk’s ward from the western edge of the empire, sets out across ruined lands and the impassable Alps to the east in search of his fellow tribesmen—Goths. On the way, his goal is met with bloody clashes and savage wild beasts. But Thorn will overcome everything and make a dizzying career at the court of the Goths’ leader Theoderic. For Thorn is a ruthless, amoral creature—a being of dual nature: a brave warrior, a man—and a beautiful, desirable woman. Most of all (and this is what will help him survive in a merciless world), Thorn is a predator.