Sixteen-year-old Malchus lives with his parents in Corinth. The gods have been good to his family, and Malchus is expected to one day become part of his father's merchant business and make his mark among the trade. What no one knows is that Malchus wants to eventually leave the shop and captain his own ship. But when a dinner guest unwittingly brings the black death plague into their house, Malchus is soon left an orphan who must be sold to the highest bidder to pay off his father's tremendous debts.

After Malchus is taken to a cell and locked away, he finally has his day in court where he learns his destiny. Separated from the rest of the prisoners, he will work on a ship's deck with the crew until he reaches the port where he will be sold. As Malchus begins his life as a slave in Jerusalem, he has no idea of what lies ahead. But after a chain of events unfurls that quickly transform the teenager into a man, Malchus is ultimately led on a personal quest to learn the true identity of a man from Nazareth called Jesus. Will he be successful or be left with more questions than answers?