The twenty-first book of the cycle about our contemporary, sea captain, who found himself in the past... The Roman Republic is gaining strength at the end of the second century B.C.E. She lacks warriors, so she recruits foreigners and non-citizens living in the occupied territories, whom she calls peregrines. The greatest need for them is in the navy, because the Romans are a "land" nation. Well, our hero is ready to apply his skills in the service of the Romans, if the interests coincide.