The sequel to The Assyrian. Tiglath Ashur is now in exile, banished by his brother Esarhaddon, the King of Assyria. With assassins close behind him, Tiglath flees first to the lands of the bloodthirsty Chaldeans, then to Egypt, a land ruled less by its pharaoh and more by court intrigue and pleasure-seeking. Here he finds love - and betrayal. Escaping to the port of Sidon, he is besieged by the armies he once led. Facing capture and death at the hands of the brother who now hates him, he slips through the trap set for him and ends his journey in Sicily where he wants to live a simple life. But an uneasy reconciliation takes him back t Assyria, where he must decide the fate of the empire.