On the eve of the Roman Festivities, the last thing you'd expect Claudia Seferius to be doing is heading in the other direction. However, even beautiful young widows have to put business before pleasure when their vineyards are threatened with arson.

Unfortunately, being run off the road to Etruria by a band of hooligans was not part of Claudia's gameplan. Nor was losing her beloved cat Drusilla. Nor was being forced to seek shelter in the strange home of Sergius Pictor—surrounded by the menagerie of wild animals he is training for the Games.

But Claudia is about to become the victim of an even crueller game. For that night a stranger appears at her bedroom door—a knife sticking out of his belly.

And before the first ray of morning sunshine, Claudia is being framed for murder ...