William Styron is a middle-aged writer of historic ficiton. After a break-up with his younger partner, William has relocated to Italy for the summer, hoping to finally finish his biography of the Roman emperor Hadrian and his lover Antoninus. He rents a dilapidated villa, and soon spots the young Algerian migrant worker Said, who is tending to the grounds and garden. Unwilling to tear down the walls he has surrounded himself with, William ignores his increasing attraction to Said. But when things turn real, and violent, William is forced to make a choice. This is a piece of explicit gay erotica.