As Pontius Pilate nears his death in exile, he summons his nephew, Sextus Marcellus Ennius, to bequeath him his estate and possessions. However, in order to receive this gift Pilate demands that Sextus travel to Judea to snuff out the greatest threat to the Roman Empire, the followers of Jesus-bar-Joseph.Sextus travels to Judea with Eros Dion of the Vigiles (a Roman spy syndicate) and together the investigate the whereabouts of these renegades. Through investigating the followers and story of Jesus-bar-Joseph the two men diverge and become rivals as they search for the truth.