528 BC. In a tormented Egypt, threatened both by the Greeks' over-mighty influence and the Persians' desire for conquest, the struggle for power has taken the form of a deadly conspiracy - and young scribe Kel finds himself unjustly accused of murder, the helpless scapegoat at the centre of a sinister Intrigue of State. As he strives to prove his innocence, the only person Kel can rely on is Nitis, the beautiful young priestess with whom he is deeply in love. But then Nitis vanishes, and Kel throws himself into a desperate quest to find her, his destiny and that of Egypt inexorably bound together. Will he survive long enough to uncover the truth, expose the conspirators and restore his good name? Nothing is certain. For when human beings choose to follow a path paved with violence and death, they cannot avoid the vengeance of the gods.