Ierii, the daughter of the chief gardener at the palace, is in love with Thyloss, the son of the keeper of the Queen's bulls. Thyloss, who is looking forward to a future as a bull acrobat - a position of great importance - finds his feelings for Ierii gradually changing. But their hopes are shaken by events beyond their control. The Minoan civilization, one of the greatest the world has known, suddenly and mysteriously came to an end sometime during the period 1600-1450BC, baffling present day historians and archaeologists alike. One of the most persistent theories is that it was fatally damaged by the immense volcanic eruption on the nearby island of Thera (Santorini). This story charts the dramatic events during the last days of Ma-ii, a city on the north coast of Crete.