At the Martyrios Monastery, in Palestine, monk and pilgrim Bernardo learns of a terrible secret: S. Vincenzo at Volturno Abbey, one of the most important spiritual centers of Christianity, is the target of a forthcoming Saracen attack by merciless commander Suchaim. 

Discovered by the plotters and determined to warn the Abbot of the impending danger, Bernardo ventures into a dangerous race against time.

His revelations plunge the monastic community into the unstable political scene of the time, hold by the clashes among Carolingians, Lombards, Byzantines and Saracens. 

While committed to seeking alliances and preparing defenses,  the abbot and faithful Cunipert are unaware that the Saracens, encamped at the gates of Naples, can count on a powerful accomplice. After mysterious deaths, espionage actions and political plots, in the A.D. 881 the armed confrontation - violent and bloody - fell like an axe on the abbey. Bernardo, Maione and Cuniperto's lives, and above all St. Vincent's relics depend on the outcome ...