Alan Williams

Octavian's campaign for a more virtuous society hits hardest in his inner circle. Vorenus' efforts to discover who hijacked the gold en route to the Roman treasury leave a bitter taste of betrayal. Pullo turns his grief about a personal loss into anger at a new enemy.

Rome is facing a dire shortage of grain, forcing Octavian to turn to Mark Antony to get new shipments from Egypt, but Antony refuses his terms. Fleeing Egypt, Posca gives Octavian the means to turn the people against Mark Antony, setting in motion the wheels of war.

Cleopatra arrives in Rome to pay her respects to Caesar, and to get her son legitimised. Erastes' death plunges the Aventine Collegium, and Rome's river commerce, into chaos. Octavian wins over the masses by taking out a loan to pay off Caesar's promise to the people.

Brutus and Cassius see their military advantage vanish in the wake of Octavian's new alliance with Mark Antony. In Rome, Vorenus receives orders to prune the ranks of Rome's elite. With the future of Rome at stake, the two armies clash on the plains of Philippi.