In ancient Rome, a woman trapped in a loveless marriage falls for another man, from a New York Timesbestselling author.

After she was arranged to be married at fifteen years old, Camilla has resigned herself to the role of respectable Roman wife, if only to please her father. Camilla knows that her husband Decimus is only interested in her vast fortune and social status. The only solace Camilla has is her daily walk along the pretty paths behind her seaside villa. But when she spies a beautiful stranger diving into the sea, a restlessness draws her again and again to the cliff's edge to watch him swim, until the fortuitous moment she finds herself in Marcus Julius Paulus's arms. Marcus, strong and gentle, is a man she could fall in love with, which only heightens her despair. For Camilla would never do anything to bring scandal to her family.

Then Camilla learns that her husband has plans to barter her to Emperor Caligula to gain his favor. She works urgently to free herself from Decimus, and she imagines for the first time that her future may be her own hands. But will her plan bring her the love of a lifetime with Marcus, or will it destroy one of Rome's most illustrious families?