On the verge of adulthood, Aurea knows little about the Roman world beyond her comfortable country villa in Nuceria. She dreads the dutiful life that seems laid before her, expected to marry a boy she's never met and trade one household prison for another. When a riding accident injures her brother, Aurea convinces her strict parents to let her take his place, travelling nine miles to Pompeii on family business. Though thrilled to be exploring the colorful city, Aurea's trip is cut short by the devastating eruption of Mount Vesuvius less than six miles away. After losing their bodyguard in the chaos, Aurea and her young slave Melina must battle their way home through a rain of burning ash and pitch black darkness, fighting off looters and a disfigured chariot horse owner who has taken a special interest in their progress. Her family has never meant so much to her, but will Aurea ever see them again?