Set against the back drop of Rome in crisis, General Marcus Vinicius returns to the city from the battle fields and falls in love with a Christian woman, Lygia.

Caught in the grip of insanity, Nero's atrocities become more extreme and he burns Rome, laying the blame on the Christians. Vinicius races to save Lygia from the wrath of Nero as the empire of Rome collapses around them...

Franco Rossi's epic mini series features an outstanding performance by Klaus Maria Brandauer as Nero and features Max Von Sydow as the Apostle Peter.