The novel by the famous American writer and poet John Williams is dedicated to the life of one of the greatest political figures in history - the Roman Emperor Augustus. Being a subtle stylist, the author recreates a wide panorama of turbulent Roman life, civil wars, conspiracies, intrigues and the construction of a grandiose empire in the form of a collection of letters from various historical figures - Augustus himself, his relatives, friends and enemies - as well as from the “unknown” pages of the chronicles of that era.