This historical novel follows Belisarius, the great general of the Byzantine emperor Justinian in the sixth century. He wins back lands across North Africa and Italy with small forces and clever tactics, while at court he faces jealousy, suspicion and the fickle favour of the emperor. The story is told through the eyes of a loyal companion, which gives it a close, admiring tone. Graves draws chiefly on the historian Procopius. The book offers a vivid picture of the late Roman world and of a soldier's loyalty tested by an unreliable ruler.