De Reditu takes place in 415 AD- five years after the devestating sack of Rome by the Visigoths- and tells the true story of Claudio Rutilio Namaziano, the last great pagan poet of a declining Roman Empire. A nobleman frustrated by the dominance of Christianity (which he blames for Rome's troubles) and a failed love affair, Claudio embarks on a sea journey to his native Gaul in order to raise an army and bring glory back to the Empire.

Tom Ripley is a calculating young man who believes it's better to be a fake somebody than a real nobody. Opportunity knocks in the form of a wealthy U.S. shipbuilder who hires Tom to travel to Italy to bring back his playboy son, Dickie. Ripley worms his way into the idyllic lives of Dickie and his girlfriend, plunging into a daring scheme of duplicity, lies and murder.