 Although Valerius appears loyal, he secretly harbors resentment against the tyrant, but is careful not to reveal it.He begins fighting Domitian's rule in a masked identity; when he begins to use a red wolf's coat to hide his face, he becomes known as the "Red Wolf".Among his allies are the young senator Nerva and the old patrician Fabius Lucillius and his family, especially Fabius' daughter Lucilla, Valerius' love interest.