The world of Roman Emperor Domitian is bathed in blood, greed and treachery, but at least he can relax and delight in the company of the singer Athena, known as the Mistress of Rome.

Or can he? For Athena herself is not what she seems.

She has known cruelty and hardship; she has found love and lost it and she is more than ready to join in a plot to assassinate her lover.

Red in tooth claw and ripe with passion and emotion.