At fourteen, Ramses, second son of the Pharaoh Seti, must begin to pass a series of royal tests designed to build his mental and physical prowess-or break him. Is Seti planning to leave the world's most powerful empire to Ramses, and not his corrupt brother Shaanar? Before he knows it, the younger prince is surrounded by enemies and turning to his friends: Moses, the brilliant young Hebrew; Setau, the snake charmer and mage; Ahmeni, the frail scholar; and Iset and Nefertari, the two beautiful women Ramses loves. And so begins the journey of the hero the world has yet to know...