the Eastern Roman Empire of Constantinople was assailed by enemy armies on all sides and rapidly sliding into ruin. Barbarian invasions had already swept the Western Empire into the dustbin of history, and the emperors and generals seemed unable to do anything about it. In the sixth century, however, the genius of two men and their remarkable wives stood between chaos and order. Their names were Emperor Flavius Petrus Sabbateus Justinianus and General Flavius Belisarius. Their wives, Theodora and Antonina, respectively, are perhaps two of the most extraordinary women in history.

This book is the story of the challenges they faced collectively, how a climate catastrophe turned their beloved empire into a wasteland, and how the world's first global pandemic contributed to their inability to revive the sagging fortunes of the Roman Empire permanently.