Jack, a former Marine, finds himself wrongfully imprisoned—only to be struck by lightning and transported to an ancient Roman gladiatorial world controlled by gods. In this realm, gladiators serve as sustenance for the gods, who feed on their suffering and souls. Jack becomes bound to a system forged from the spirits of those who perished over the millennia. Driven by the desire to return to the modern world and reunite with his daughter, Emma, he fights for survival in the blood-soaked arena, siphoning power from the gods themselves. Along the way, he forms alliances with the priestess Cassia, the gladiator Maximus, and others, ultimately rallying the oppressed slaves to rise up against their divine captors.
