From 218 to 201 BCE, the Second Punic War opposes Rome against Carthage for dominance of the western Mediterranean. This is the story of a decisive clash between Hannibal, a formidable strategist, and Scipio, a young general whose ingenuity would change the course of the conflict.

From 481 to 480 BCE, during the Second Persian War, Xerxes, king of Persia, assembles his immense army to subdue the rebellious Greek cities. In Athens, Themistocles relies on the ingenuity of the young democracy and the power of the sea to stand up to an empire that seems invincible.