A historical tale set in ancient Babylon follows the court's splendor and moral decline as royal pageantry, priestly rivalries, and personal loyalties collide. It follows a Persian envoy escorting a princess into a politically arranged union, while temple officials, royal advisers, and seers maneuver for influence. Political betrayal, religious conflict, and military pressure from an outside power converge, and prophetic warnings and counsel presage a final confrontation that brings about the collapse of the city's power.