Plot

In the city of Rome during 45 bc, an orator, politician, and scholar named Cicero faced difficulties as he struggled to advance up the social class structure. He was born into an equestrian family, which meant that he constantly felt the need to prove that he deserved to be a senator. When he met Terentia, Cicero saw a golden opportunity to further his career. She came from a wealthy family, and he knew that if he married her it would help gain the favor of more influential people in Rome. Unfortunately, he never loved her. The only reason the marriage lasted as long as it did was because he dedicated so much of his time to his career. He got a divorce only to realize how much her status had helped him. This led him to marry another wealthy woman, which ended in divorce shortly after. In addition to his relationship dissatisfaction, Cicero fell into a period of extreme depression after losing his beloved daughter Tullia. During this time, he met a poor plebe woman named Aelia on a day when he accompanied his slave, Tiro, to the Roman Forum. It was love at first sight and he felt a spark of hope again. But if he were to go public with the relationship, he would risk losing all of the work and sacrifice he had put into his career. Cicero struggled with his identity as he tried to discover which was more important to him: love or social image?