SERIES ONE
It is AD 69. The place is the Port of Alexandria, Egypt. The
Roman Empire has conquered Europe and North Africa.
Resistance is futile. The residents of Alexandria learned this
three years earlier, when the Romans brutally put down a
rebellion.
Fourteen-year-old Macky lives here, with his family - his
father, Samuel the silversmith, his mother, Diana, and his
little foster sisters, Rebecca and Leah.
Not everyone’s spirit was broken by the Romans. Some in
Alexandria have taken their beliefs underground, while
still maintaining normal facades. Macky and his family are
drawn into a secret network of Jews and Jewish Christians
- the Friends of Jesus. Together, these friends take part in a
daring series of rescues and raids, all designed to help the
sick, the starving or the unjustly imprisoned - and to combat
the injustices of Roman authority whenever possible. Their
inspiration comes from the Bible’s rich oral tradition, stories
from the Old and NewTestaments.
Alexandria’s Roman governor, Tiberius, is furious, of course,
but he’s continually frustrated. That’s because his chief
lieutenant, Tobias (Toadie), is a corrupt coward, and Toadie’s
flunky, Brutacus, barely qualifies as a half-wit.
For Macky, Leah and Rebecca, this is all a huge and exciting
adventure, but things get more complicated for Macky when
he meets a young Roman girl named Portia. Initially a bit of
a snob, Portia soon warms to Macky, and to his friends - and
vice versa. But then Macky finds out who Portia is: she’s the
niece of Governor Tiberius…
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