After the death of the paranoid emperor Tiberius, Caligula, his heir, seizes power and plunges the empire into a bloody spiral of madness and depravity.
In wartime France, Pharmacist Eliane begins a torrid affair with her shop assistant Armand, but she soon becomes dominated by him. He demands more and more from her, humiliating her and putting her family at risk.
Martin Sheen stars as an American newsman in Rome who begins to investigate the appearance of several corpses found throughout Europe with their hands cut off. He soon uncovers not only plots of plutonium theft, but also of nuclear arms deals and dark political schemes.