Three narratives, set in the fifth century, the final days of the Roman Empire; the fourteenth – the years of the Black Death; and the twentieth in World War II.  Each narrative is set in Provence, each has at its heart a love story; and they are thematically joined by an ancient text, “The Dream of Scipio” – a work of neo-Platonism that poses timeless philosophical questions. What is the obligation of the individual in a society under siege? What is the role of learning when civilization itself is threatened, whether by acts of man or nature? Does virtue lie more in engagement or in neutrality? “Power without wisdom is tyranny; wisdom without power is pointless.”