In 79 A.D., in the beautiful resort town of Pompeii, Glaucus the Athenian meets Ione, and quickly falls in love with her--and she with him. But the Egyptian mage, Arbaces, wants the girl for himself, and will do anything to attain his goal, including accusing the handsome Greek of a murder that he has committed himself. Glaucus is sentenced to death in the gladiator's ring. Can any of the Pompeiians survive the rain of gas and ash from the nearby volcano, Mount Vesuvius? A modern adaptation of Bulwer-Lytton's classic historical novel.