Constantinople 1057. The magnificent Byzantine Empire continues to exist only because its enemies have not yet realized how years of corrupt rulers have weakened it. A new emperor, Isaac I Comnenus, seizes the throne expecting to reverse the decline but is overwhelmed by an empty treasury, a troublesome patriarch, and invaders at every border.

Isaac struggles against foes both in Constantinople and at the borders, while his brother John shrinks from his growing responsibilities to the dismay of his wife, Anna Dalassena. Anna's disappointment in her husband is outweighed only by her horror at her enemy's, Constantine Ducas's, growing importance. Her husband's reluctance and the turbulence of these troubled years finally forces Anna to recognize her own pivotal role in the destiny of the empire's fortunes and that of her family.