Mahmud of Ghazni believes he has crushed the spirit of Bharat---the Shiva Linga at the Somnath temple lies shattered and thousands are dead.But among the ashes of destruction, an oath is taken.Five people---a Tamil warrior, a Gujarati merchant, a devotee of Lord Ayyappa, a scholar-emperor from Malwa, and the most powerful man on Earth, Emperor Rajendra Chola---resolve to undertake a perilous quest and strike at the heart of the invader's kingdom.