When master builder Haterius constructs the Colosseum from the ashes of Nero's Golden House, his work is far from over. New Emperor Domitian tasks him with adding in a complex network of underground tunnels: the hypogeum. Haterius will have to balance satisfying the insatiable demands of the all-powerful Emperor, with the extreme pressures of creating an ancient architectural marvel in time for Domitian's games. Failure could cost his life.

When the mighty Emperor Trajan throws his great games of 107 AD, the crowd is treated to a rare spectacle: female gladiators. The combatants are typically prisoners of war, but in one game, a Roman woman named Mevia makes history. She decides to trade her status as a free citizen of Rome to fight in the arena as a gladiatrix, a controversial and shocking choice that earns the enmity of Roman historian and satirist, Juvenal. Her choice illustrates the challenges of plebian life for women in ancient Rome.