The Bay of Naples, AD 79. Roman elites bask in luxury while Mount Vesuvius smolders above them. Springs are failing, aqueducts are cracking, and one man knows the disaster is closer than anyone dares admit.
Marcus Attilius Primus, a young engineer newly in charge of the Aqua Augusta, inherits a crisis. His predecessor has vanished, the aqueduct is breaking down, and fresh water for a quarter of a million people is at risk. Ordered to repair the line before the reservoirs run dry, Attilius journeys to Pompeii, a city rotting with corruption and violence.
As he uncovers sabotage, greed, and secrets buried in volcanic soil, nature prepares its own reckoning.
The clock is running out. When the mountain erupts, no one will escape untouched.
