In an ancient city; in a different time, a young couple seeks shelter from the cold night. Pregnant with their first child, they find no room to rest. Jonathon, the son of the local innkeeper, shows them to an empty grotto on the outskirts of town. There he experiences an event unlike any the world has ever known. Rushing home to tell his parents, he finds tragedy has struck his family. Overwhelmed by loss and chaos, Jonathon ventures to Rome where he's befriended by a centurion. With help from his new acquaintance, he joins the ranks of the world's mightiest military force. His life is again thrust into upheaval when he survives a massacre where thousands of his fellows die at the hand of a traitor, bringing his own loyalties into question. Exiled to the land of his birth, Jonathon is charged with identifying a new leader who may try to overthrow Rome. Caught in a web of his own lies, he returns to the center of civilization to, once again, fight for the empire. Out of hope, he waits to die. A fateful encounter on the battlefield sets into motion his final assignment. Tensions are mounting in Jerusalem under the corrupt governmental and religious leaders. The people wait for their Messiah. A lifetime of struggle reaches its peak as Jonathon must decide which ruler to serve. The earthly emperor in Rome or the grown child he saw born in Bethlehem. A man like none he has ever known.