The Eagle of the Ninth is a historical novel, the saga of Marcus Flavius Aquila, a young Roman Centurion in Britain about 127 A. D. When Marcus is wounded, he decides to rescue the totem of his father's Lost Legion, the "unlucky Ninth." Accompanied by his faithful Briton retainer and friend Esca, Marcus travels amongst the barbarians disguised as an oculist. The two retrieve the Eagle from an Epidaii tribe and make a mad dash for the safety of Hadrian's Wall, eluding their pursuers by stealth and misdirection. Returning home, Marcus finds his dream of reviving the Ninth shattered, but he is awarded a farm of his own by a grateful Roman Senate. He chooses to remain in Britain among his new family and friends.

As the novel begins, after a wound forces Marcus to leave the Second Roman Legion, Marcus spends time recuperating at the home...