Gabriel awakens on the floor of the desert. He does not know how he got there or where he came from. His memory is fragmented and looking at him across the clearing is an old worn donkey. He doesn’t understand why, but he knows the donkey’s name is Sowen and she’s a stubborn old animal. He packs up his meager camp and heads out across the desert in the direction of a distant township.
The town he finds is called Hyrcania, and the first establishment he reaches is Simeon’s Inn.
The presiding Governor’s Captain is being rotated out and a new one is arriving to take his place.
Tirilius’ sadistic leadership is toned down by his second in command, Lieutenant Markus Antonius. Antonius does his best to stem the pain and suffering of the men under his command and he makes no bones about his disdain for Tirilius. Captain Germaine senses the dark nature of his replacement and gives him advice on his pending rulership.
Captain Tirilius' secret weapon is an assassin secreted away within his own ranks. He devises a plan to have Captain Germaine killed before he reaches Rome.
. As he sleeps, Captain Germaine is killed by an assassin posing as one of his soldiers.
One of the chambermaids of the Governor's home is missing. Antonius learns she was last seen with his Captain Tirilius.
The new Captain, Tirilius, makes himself at home and sets about installing new laws as a means to get to the bottom of the rumors of a new King being born of the Jews. In the desert, Captain Germaine’s second in command, Commander Tir, sets about an investigation to discover how his friend came to be murdered in his sleep.
Some of the children are arrested but freed by Lieutenant Antonius and Commander Raimus. Tirilius has succeeded in kidnapping the Governor and fooling the first lady that other forces are responsible.
In the desert, Commander Tir has found a clue that his ranks were infiltrated by the assassin that killed his friend and Captain. He splits up his troops to send the body of his dead friend on to Rome, while he takes his best warriors back to Hyrcania to confront Captain Tirilius.
The assassin almost kills young Benjamin, but his saved by the donkey Sowen.
The plot thwarted, the town returns to normal, with the exception of Gabriel getting his full memory back and assuming his mantle as the Angle of Annunciation. He then sets about informing Rabbi Zechariah of the birth of his son, John the Baptist. Zechariah, in turn, relays the events to Elizabeth, who in turn tells her Cousin, Mary, the soon-to-be mother of Jesus Christ. The mysterious Sowen is left to the Children of the village to aid in their daily work. The beast is then passed down to Elizabeth to help her, and then the beast is eventually given to Mary as a wedding gift for her and Joseph.
The next and final episode follows Christ after his Birth and through His Childhood with friends, some of whom we met in the first episode.
You can view this lineage of the series on my secure website, The Child Christ. “The Child Christ”, pilot premiere. Link: https://indd.adobe.com/view/5180a12b-606e-41b6-967d-3735f930b15d