Sold into slavery as a young boy and sentenced to spend out the rest of his adult life laboring in the harsh deserts of Egypt, Spartacus gets a new lease on life when he is purchased by the owner of a Roman gladiator school. Moved by the defiance of an Ethopian warrior, Draba, Spartacus leads a slave uprising which threatens Rome's status quo. As Spartacus gains sympathy within the Roman Senate, he also makes a powerful enemy in form of Marcus Lucinius...

Gaius Claudius Glaber and his Roman troops are sent to Capua to crush the growing band of freed slaves that Spartacus leads before it can inflict further damage. Spartacus is presented the choice of satisfying his personal need for vengeance against the man who condemned his wife to slavery and eventual death or making the larger sacrifices necessary to keep his budding army from breaking apart.

Torn from his homeland and the woman he loves, Spartacus is condemned to the brutal world of the arena, where blood and death are primetime entertainment. But not all battles are fought upon the sands. Treachery, corruption, and the allure of sensual pleasure will constantly test Spartacus. To survive, he must become more than a man and gladiator. He must become a legend.