On the eve of the Festivities, Claudia Seferius is actually heading in the opposite direction, but then, even beautiful young Roman widows have to act when their vineyards are threatened. But Claudia is run off the road by hooligans and forced to shelter in the strange home of Sergius Pictor — surrounded by the caged animals he is training for the games. And when a man chooses her room in which to die, Claudia finds herself accused of murder.