“Blood, lust and passion are the food of the gods.” In a world controlled by the heavenly gods of earth, fire, air and water, the life of a slave is devalued. Relations between gods and people, outside the framework of satisfying momentary needs, are strictly prohibited. For the gods, people exist only to serve them, and only those who have influence over the crowd are protected from some slave deprivations for a time while they fulfill the whims of the gods. Mateo is captured by bandits and doomed to slavery. He has no idea what the future holds for him, but he is sure that nothing good should be expected. He comes from barren lands, places so far from the abode of the gods that they are practically lifeless. Residents of the heavenly cities treat his kind as heretics, not considering them to be people. He is poor, lacking any influence, education or skill that could allow him to rise to a status worthy of the favor of the gods. At the moment when he is sold to the ludus* to make him a gladiator, along with doom, the hope of salvation arises in him if he can overcome all the trials of fate. Living on the brink of death, he will pay tribute to the gods and respect their dominion.