Ancient Rome: While Mount Vesuvius silently bubbles and smokes, citizens of the world's sole superpower relax in their luxurious villas while its navy lies peacefully at anchor in the Bay of Naples. But engineer Marius Primus, newly in charge of the Aqua Augusta, the aqueduct that brings fresh water to a quarter million people around the bay, is worried. Springs are failing for the first time in generations, and something is wrong with the Augusta's main line on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius. As he heads to repair the aqueduct before the reservoir runs dry, Marius discovers forces that even the Roman Empire can't control. Told through the eyes of an engineer and a scientist, POMPEII offers an entirely original perspective on this terrible catastrophe.