In response to his wife's death, John, the Lord Chamberlain, is exiled by Emperor Justinian. When an Egyptian magician tries to raise the empress from the dead, supposed demons disappear without a trace carrying one of the city's holiest relics. Felix, Captain of the Palace Guard, is selected as John's successor, and tasked with retrieving the relic. To make matters worse, a dead body is found outside his house, and Felix finds himself being accused of the crime. Felix desperately wishes John were there with him but the former Lord Chamberlain has already sailed for Greece, and Felix must solve the mystery himself.