The ancient city of Jerusalem teeters on the brink of destruction. Torn from within by rival political factions and besieged from the outside by the formidable Roman war machine, its future hangs by a thread. Amid the chaos, Hadassah, a young Jewish woman, watches her family die of starvation. Her father Hananiah, a Christian who preached about Jesus of Nazareth, is killed, a martyr to his belief. He brought his family to Jerusalem from Galilee to spread the word of Jesus even though many other Christians have fled the city. He and his fellow believers gather for Passover, and Hananiah tells the story of how, as a boy, he died of fever, and Jesus had brought him back from death. As a preacher, Hananiah suffers routine ridicule and beatings. His friends warn him to leave Judea, but he remains, claiming, “Whatever happens, this is where the Lord wants me” (9). His friends’ warnings having come true, Hadassah resents her father’s stubbornness, his faith, and his martyrdom which have left his family to fend for themselves.

Hadassah’s brother returns emptyhanded from a scavenging trip. He reports that dead bodies by the thousands are being dumped behind the temple.