Plot summary

In the menacing shadow of 79 A.D. Pompeii's Mount Vesuvius, the orphaned and left-for-dead boy-turned-gladiator, Milo, must fight for his life in the bustling port city's blood-stained arena. Before long, the untamed former slave catches the eye of the city governor Severus' beautiful daughter, Cassia, and much to his surprise, an ardent but perilous romantic affair beyond social classes begins. Now, against the backdrop of an imminent catastrophic volcanic eruption, and the corrupt Roman Senator Corvus' unappeased wrath, the young couple must seek a way out, as rivers of sluggish hot lava and a rain of heavy black ash threaten to devour the small town. Can Milo put aside his wild desire for retribution for Cassias' sake?—Nick Riganas