EDICIONES B 2010

Year 532. In the heart of Constantinople stands the Church of Divine Wisdom — Hagia Sophia — the center of Christian worship and the pride of its inhabitants. Emperor Justinian, while striving to restore the former glory of Rome, longs for an heir who will continue the empire of his dreams. Guided by a divine sign, he plans to build the greatest basilica ever conceived in human history — an offering to the Lord in exchange for a son.

To achieve his dream, the emperor secretly instigates a revolt in the city — an uprising that will allow him to destroy the old basilica without anyone linking him to such a sacrilege.

Caught up in the rebellion is Hector, a former professor of the Athenian Academy now living in poverty as a laborer with his wife, Penelope. Marginalized by the city’s elite for his pagan past, he accidentally becomes one of the revolt’s leaders. Seizing upon the people’s fiery discontent, Hector joins patricians and senators in a dramatic conspiracy to overthrow the emperor.

As the spiral of violence spreads through Constantinople, Justinian watches the uprising slip out of his control, threatening not only his throne but his very life.