After his parents’ untimely deaths, Daniel bar Jamin escapes to the hills and joins a rough band — led by a man named Rosh. They plan to conquer the hated Romans. Five years later, Daniel runs into an old friend and learns his grandmother (who cares for his younger, demon-possessed sister, Leah) is dying. His senses of guilt and responsibility lead him to return to his home in the village and take over his friend Simon’s blacksmith shop while caring for Leah. Still driven by his hatred for the Romans — who, readers learn, killed his father — Daniel aids Rosh from a distance by assembling a band of like-minded young men to fight. But when Daniel meets a carpenter named Jesus, all of his notions are turned upside-down.