Crispin the mosaicist has finally arrived in fabled Sarantium, and wants nothing more than to practice his art. Emperor Valerius is considering uniting his fractured empire, which would have consequences for Crispin's family back home, and Crispin himself has ties to the Emperor and the Empress, as well as with his own monarch. He tries to set himself apart, as rumours swirl of war and the presence of the half-world remains close by.