Eleventh century Italy. The Byzantines rule the South, but do so in the face of constant revolt from their unwilling subjects - a strife that extends from the great trading ports to the rich agricultural lands of Apulia. The Lombards, heirs to a northern tribe, are no exception and their leader, Arduin of Fassano, brings into the conflict the fearsome mercenary brothers, the de Hautevilles, to help him in his quest - to destroy the power of Constantinople. Will the might of the Byzantine Empire crush Arduin's revolt? Can his ambitious plan succeed, or will the treachery that stalks the land play into the hands of the Normans?