First up: Raids on Roman garrisons lead to a showdown between the Zealot leader (Peter Strauss) and a Roman commander (Peter O'Toole).

While the Romans ready their offensive, Silva (Peter O'Toole) seeks comfort from a beautiful slave (Barbara Carrera) who plucks at his conscience.

A Zealot plot to demoralize the Romans provokes retaliation against the camp's Jewish slaves by the scheming envoy Falco, who replaces Silva as commander.

Conclusion. Action builds to a tragic climax as the Romans assault the fortress with a siege engine---a massive ram mounted on a mobile tower.