The Roman Empire is coming apart at the seams, relying on German recruits and foederati to hold the empire together. The eastern and western empires are ruled by incompetent young men who allow their German warlords to rule for them, but imperial elites conspire against the generals. Yul the Younger is a Saxon boy negotiating life in the empire with strong ties to his family in Germania. His father, Yul the Elder, sends Yul to a monastery school to learn the ways of the empire, with the father serving the empire as a quaestor (treasurer) in the east of Britannia. Yul the elder’s job is to make certain that the mostly German troopers of the Saxon Shore are fed, equipped, and paid, but Romano-British landlords are withholding taxes while enslaving Germans andbuilding lavish country houses. Life in the monastic school at Verulamium (Saint Albans) proves difficult for Yul the Younger with monks insisting he give up his Germanic gods for Christ. He is also harassed by the entitled sons of British elites. Yul dares to make his escape with his best friend, a Pict, named Keaffer.