Triumphus plebis : the triumph of the Plebeians
(Book)

Includes timeline of Ancient Rome.

Gaius Gabinus wants revenge. Returning from the Samnite War in 290 B.C.E, Gaius finds his family bankrupt and his father murdered. Milo Plotius, the moneylender, is responsible. But Plotius, a rich and powerful senator, is protected by law. Gaius looks for help from the Tribunes of the Plebs. Only one offers any hope, and that tribune has his own agenda. Forced to make his family his first priority, Gaius and his new slave, Silvanus, form an uneasy truce that, ultimately, will grow into friendship. They learn that Silvanus's wife is being held hostage in Sicily, and only she knows where a hidden family fortune can be found. The lure of treasure convinces Gaius to undertake the rescue of his slave's family. Fame and wealth leads to tension between Gaius and Silvanus. As the helpful tribune draws Gaius deeper and deeper into Roman politics, events compel Gaius to choose between duty, friendship, and justice

In 89 B.C., the Socii War, between Rome and her Italian allies on teh peninsula, has concluded, but only some of the causes of the war have been resolved. Gaius Marius, once the first man of Rome, and Lucius Cornelius Sulla, a military genius, return from the war, each with his own agenda. The social and economic conflicts they represent, the political intrigues they generate, and the respective drives for power in Rome, will plunge the Republic into civil war.