Laina Mooreland is a village woman who has been bought as a slave by the Roman general who conquered her village. As his right, he uses her, first in public then in private, as his sexual servant. Laina wants to be ashamed of her enslavement, but his touch thrills her so that she becomes a willing slave. The general knows he cannot love a slave and is betrothed to another, but his physical need for her borders on obsession, which threatens his committment to the empire.
While he serves the empire, the general knows he has little choice but to do his duty, both professionally and personally. However, as the Roman empire crumbles around them, the general is freed from his duty as well his obligation to marry the emperor's daughter. No longer tied to a powerful empire, he is free to be with a woman of his choice, including if his choice is a sensual slave who heats his blood with intense passion.