Quintus Claudius: A Romance of Imperial Rome is a tale of a young and restless Roman lad, who seeks his fortune in brutal circumstances of ancient Rome, near the end of the 1st century. Quintus lives with his mother and sisters in Baiae, small town in the bay of Naples, while his father is a priest to the temple of Jupiter in Rome. He is betrothed to his beloved Cornelia who is sent to Tibur on a decision by her uncle. The very next day after Quintus gets involved in an incident with emperor's wife who resides in Baiae, he receives two letters; one from his father who invites him to Rome; and the other from his fiancée who notifies him that she is coming to Rome as well. Quintus sets off to the capital eager to see his loved one, but the shadow of previous incident remains to follow him.

Ernst Eckstein (1845-1900) was a German humorist, novelist and poet. He was editor of a literary and critical journal, Hall of Poets, and of a humorous weekly, The Wag, at Leipzig, for some years, and then settled in Dresden.