When 18-year-old Daniel is abducted by Sicarii assassins and taken to their walled fortress of Masada, he's forced to let go of the Jewish Law he's learned from his parents and to adopt his kidnappers' code of violence and thievery, simply to stay alive.

Wracked with guilt but determined to survive, Daniel becomes part of the Sicarii culture, even marrying one of their soldier's sisters. Between violent raids against neighboring settlements to prevent starvation and other challenges to his beliefs, Daniel is faced with choice after choice that test his character, strength, and resolve and push him to discover the kind of man he wants to be.

Set against the backdrop of the last confrontation between the Jews and Romans during the Second Temple period, this work of historical fiction by author Shimon Avish masterfully weaves together history and his real-life experiences in the army and as a kibbutznik, bringing to life a painful chapter in Jewish history through the eyes of young Daniel.