Emilia is possessed by a passionate desire to avenge Augustus for the death of her father, Kai Toranius, the educator of the future emperor, executed by him during the triumvirate. In the role of the perpetrator of revenge, she sees her lover, Zinnu; no matter how painful Emilia is to realize that, raising her hand against the omnipotent Augustus, Zinn endangers her life, which is invaluable to her, yet duty is above all else. to shy away from the call of duty is the greatest disgrace; the one who fulfills his duty is worthy of the highest honor. Therefore, even passionately loving Zinn, Emilia is ready to give him his hand only when the hated tyrant is killed.

Emilia’s confidante, Fulvia, is trying to dissuade her friend from a dangerous plan, recalls with what honors and respect Emilia Augustus surrounded, redeeming old guilt. But Emilia stands her ground: Caesar's crime can only atone for death. Then Fulvia starts a speech about the danger awaiting Cinnus on the path of vengeance, and that even without the Cinnamus, among the Romans, Augustus cannot count enemies who long for the death of the emperor; so is it not better to provide reprisal against a tyrant to one of them? But no, Emilia will consider the duty of vengeance unfulfilled if Augustus is killed by someone else.

But with cynicism, a whole conspiracy was drawn up against the emperor. In a close circle of conspirators, everyone burns with hatred for the tyrant, the corpses who paved their way to the Roman throne, all craving for the death of a man who, for the sake of his own exaltation, plunged the country into the abyss of fratricidal massacre, betrayal, betrayal, and denunciations. Tomorrow is the decisive day on which the tyrant fighters decided to either rid Rome of Augustus or lay down their own heads. As soon as Tsinna has time to tell Emilia about the plans of the conspirators, the freedman Evandre comes to him with the news that Augustus demands him, Zinn, and the second leader of the conspiracy - Maxim. Zinn is embarrassed by the invitation of the emperor, which, however, does not mean that the conspiracy has been revealed - both himself and Maxim August are among his closest friends and often invites for advice.

When Zinn and Maxim come to Augustus, the emperor asks everyone else to leave, and he turns to two friends with an unexpected speech: he is weighed down by power, the ascension to which he once reveled in, but now bearing only a heavy burden of worries, universal hatred and constant fear of violent death. Augustus invites Zinna and Maxim to take Rome’s rule from his hands and decide for themselves whether their homeland is a republic or an empire.

Friends meet the emperor’s proposal in different ways. Cinnus convinces Augustus that imperial power came to him by the right of valor and power, that under him Rome had reached an unprecedented heyday; find yourself in the hands of the people, the senseless crowd, and the country will again wallow in strife, the greatness of Rome will inevitably end. He is sure that the only right decision for Augustus is to preserve the throne. As for death at the hands of murderers, it is better to die the ruler of the world than to eke out the existence of an ordinary citizen or citizen.

Maxim, in turn, would have wholeheartedly welcomed the abdication of Augustus and the establishment of the republic: the Romans have long been famous for freedom, and, no matter how legitimate the emperor’s power, they will always see the tyrant as the most wise ruler.

After listening to both, Augustus, to whom the blessing of Rome is incomparably more valuable than his own peace, accepts the arguments of Zinn and does not lay down the imperial crown. He appoints Maxim as governor in Sicily, but leaves Cinnu with him and gives him Emilia as his wife.

Maxim is perplexed why the leader of the conspirators suddenly became a friend of tyranny, but Zinn explains to him why he urged Augustus not to leave the throne: firstly, freedom is not freedom when it is taken from the hands of a tyrant, and secondly, the emperor cannot be allowed to do so just retire - he must atone for his atrocities with death. Zinn did not betray the plotters - he would take revenge at all costs. Maxim complains to his freedman Euphorb that Rome did not receive liberties only at the whim of Emilia Zinna, who is in love with Emilia; now Maxim will have to commit a crime for the benefit of a happy rival - it turns out that he has long loved Emilia, but she does not reciprocate. The cunning Evforb offers Maxim the surest way, in his opinion, to not soak his hands in the blood of Augustus and to get Emilia - it is necessary to inform the emperor about the conspiracy, all the participants of which, except for Zinn, supposedly repented and pray for forgiveness.

Meanwhile, Zinn, touched by the greatness of the soul of Augustus, loses its former determination - he realizes that he has a choice: to betray the sovereign or beloved; he will kill Augustus or not - in both cases he will commit a betrayal. Cinna still cherishes the hope that Emilia will allow him to swear an oath, but the girl is adamant - since she vowed to take revenge on Augustus, she will achieve his death at any cost, even at the cost of her own life, which is no longer sweet to her, since she cannot unite her with her lover oath-criminal. As for the fact that Augustus generously handed it to Zinn, accepting such gifts means subservient to tyranny.

Emilia’s speeches force Zinn to make a choice - no matter how hard it is for him, he will keep his promise and end with Augustus.

Freedman Evforb presented Augustus with the whole thing so that, they say, Maxim sincerely repented of evil intent against the person of the emperor, and Zinn, on the contrary, persists in himself and prevents other conspirators from pleading guilty. The measure of Maxim's remorse is so great that in desperation he rushed to the Tiber and, as Evforb believes, ended his days in its stormy waters.

Augustus is deeply struck by the betrayal of Zinn and burns with a thirst for revenge, but, on the other hand, how much blood can be shed? Hundreds of murders have not yet secured the emperor, and the new executions are unlikely to provide him with quiet rule in a country where opponents of tyranny will never transfer. Is it not more noble to resignedly meet death at the hands of the conspirators than to continue to reign under the sword of Damocles?

Behind such thoughts of Augustus finds the loving wife of Libya. She asks him to heed her feminine advice: not to pour the blood of the conspirators this time, but to have mercy on them, for mercy on defeated enemies is no less valor for the ruler than the ability to decisively deal with them. The words of Libya touched the soul of Augustus, little by little he inclines to keep Zinn alive. The freedmen Evander and Euphorb have already been captured, while Augustus urgently calls Cinnu to his council. Emilia understands - all this means that the conspiracy has been uncovered, and mortal danger looms over her and over Cinna. But then Maxim comes to Emilia and starts an inappropriate conversation about her passion, offering to escape on the ship with him, Maxim, as soon as Zinn is already in Augustus’s hands and you can’t help him. Not only is Emilia completely indifferent to Maxim - how carefully prepared the escape is, leads her to suspect that it was Maxim who betrayed the conspirators to the tyrant.

Maxim's treacherous plan collapsed. Now, with terrible words, he curses Evforb and himself, not understanding how he, a noble Roman, could commit low crimes on the advice of a freedman who forever retained, despite his freedom, the most slavish soul.

Augustus invites Zinn to him and, ordering him not to interrupt, reminds the failed conspirator of all the good deeds and honors with which the emperor surrounded the ungrateful descendant of Pompey, and then sets out in detail the plan of the conspiracy, tells who should have stood where to strike ... August he turns not only to the feelings of Zinn, but also to his mind, explains that even with the luck of the conspirators, the Romans would not want to have Zinn as emperor, because there are many husbands in the city with whom he can not equal the glory of his ancestors or personal valor.

Cinna does not deny anything, he is ready to suffer punishment, but in his return speeches he does not even have a shadow of remorse. Repentance is not heard in the words of Emilia, when she, appearing before Augustus, calls herself the true head and inspirer of the conspiracy. Cinna objects that it was not Emilia who seduced him to malice, but he himself had hatched plans for revenge long before he recognized her.

Augustus and Emilia are exhorted to leave anger, asks to remember how he exalted her in order to atone for the murder of his father, in whom he is guilty not only as much as rock, whose toy is often kings. But Zinn and Emilia are inexorable and determined to meet the death hour together.

In contrast to them, Maxim repents to the depths of his soul in triple betrayal - he betrayed the sovereign, friends-conspirators, wanted to destroy the union of Zinn and Emilia - and asks to put him and Euphorb to death.

But this time Augustus is in no hurry to send enemies to execution; he surpasses all conceivable limits of magnanimity - forgives everyone, blesses the marriage of Zinn and Emilia, confers consular power on Zinn. With wise generosity, the emperor softens hardened hearts against him and gains the most faithful friends and associates in the person of former conspirators.