A brutal Roman soldier's life forever changes when he is given the task of guarding the elderly Apostle Paul with a hidden agenda. 

SYNOPSIS:

The elderly Apostle Paul resides inside a Roman prison. He wrestles with nightmares involving the persecutions he enacted on the Christians years ago. Emperor Nero will see that Paul is executed for his religious beliefs, but not yet.

Fabius Meridias is a young Roman soldier ordered by Nero to befriend the apostle. The callous soldier must find out where the Christians meet in Rome. Paul discusses with Fabius his educational experience under a prominent rabbi, the persecutions he carried out against Christians, his conversion from Judaism to Christianity, previous imprisonments, and events leading up to his capture by the Romans.

Fabius becomes enthralled with a man whose experience conveys faith as a life-altering element words alone cannot describe. The soldier opens up to Paul about personal experiences involving his family. They exchange personal information that stretches beyond the labeling of Fabius as a soldier and Paul as a prisoner.

The second major interaction with Paul informs Fabius about Paul’s conversion to Christianity. In the meantime, Nero is growing more impatient with a lack of knowledge about where the Christians meet for their worship services. At the end of a meeting, Fabius receives an answer from Paul on where the Christians congregate for their worship and fellowship. The answer seals the apostle's fate.

In their final major discussion, Fabius hopes for Paul to bring up an alternative answer to where the Christians meet. The soldier also would like to hear more of Paul’s stories. The apostle opens up to Fabius about some of his experiences en route to Rome that that entails an incident where Paul was almost beaten alive while inside a temple, events surrounding house arrest, surviving a shipwreck at sea, and the healing a man’s father.

Nero takes the matter into his own hands. He confronts Paul on where the Christians meet in the city. Paul does not give Nero the answer he was looking to hear. Nero orders Paul to another prison to await execution.

Paul's sister and two others break into the prison where Paul resides. Paul visits with his sister and other fellow Christians on the eve of his death. Paul's sister earnestly pleads for her brother to find a way of escaping his fate. The apostle is resolved to meet the edge of the sword. The following morning, Paul is executed on the Ostian Road outside Rome.

Fabius strips himself of his armor and weaponry. He leaves a parchment note to his wife explaining a personal decision he has made. Whether he flees to seek Christians or a new life elsewhere is left for history to decide.

THE DEPARTURE