The main protagonist of the novel is Vercingetorix and the plot follows his rise to power to become king of the Gauls and his eventual surrender to Caesar at the Battle of Alesia.
The book is a novelisation of an early version of the script for Vercingétorix, la Légende du Druide Roi, a French language film.
[1] While working on the script for the French Language film Vercingétorix, la Légende du Druide Roi, Spinrad collaborated on many revisions with the director Jacques Dorfmann.
[2] The novel begins as Caesar searches for an excuse to use his Roman legions in Gaul in order to gain political capital in Rome.
However, unbeknownst to the Gallic allies, Caesar plans to send the Gauls ahead of him into battle in order for many of their warriors and leaders to be killed.
While traveling north with his column of Roman infantry and his Gallic allies, Caesar encounters Vercingetorix who has left the druid training in order to reclaim his father's wealth amongst the Arverni.
[2] John Snider of the online Science Fiction magazine Scifidimensions called the book fantastic, noting it as particularly vivid novel which beautifully retells the story of Vercingetorix.