"Centuries come and go; but the plot of the drama is unchanged, and the same characters play the same parts. Only the actors cast for them are new." For this timeless tale, we are taken back to the Roman forum. With the backdrop of the Punic Wars, we follow the fortunes of Sergius, a young man going off to serve and who impresses his general; and Marcia, the young woman he leaves behind, whom he loves, but who refuses to commit to any attachment for him before he leaves.