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A romance between the determined slave girl Hadassah and the handsome aristocrat Marcus, A Voice in the Wind is the first volume of Francine Rivers's Mark of the Lion saga.
The dramas and passions of Jews, Romans, and barbarians in Rome, seventy years after Christ. After surviving the massacre of her family and the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, Hadassah is captured and sold to the family of a wealthy merchant. Taken to Rome, she becomes the personal slave of the hedonistic Julia Valerianus. Hadassah strives to follow the teachings of Jesus, but is forced to keep her religion a secret to survive. Confused and alone, she has only her own faith to cling to as she subtly attempts to bring God into the lives of her masters.
Hasty and selfish, Julia has a turbulent relationship with Hadassah, while her brother, Marcus, looks upon the slave with increasing admiration. Is it possible for love between Hadassah and Marcus to blossom, considering not only their respective positions in life, but also the gap between Hadassah's unwavering faith and Marcus's utter disbelief?
At the same time, Atretes, a soldier captured in Germania, is forced to become a gladiator. Rome's decline is beginning, and the decadence of a civilization on the brink of self-destruction serves as a powerful backdrop to the barbarian's struggle for survival in the arena.
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