In 30 b.c. against the backdrop of Alexandria, Egypt, one of the most majestic of all ancient cities, a great queen proudly and defiantly took her life. More than two thousand years later, the world remains fascinated and haunted by this most intriguing woman, Cleopatra VII, yet practically everything we know about her is based on ancient text fragments, literature, and myth. Was she the temptress of legend? A ruthless, ambitious conqueror? Or was she a strong, brilliant, visionary ruler, a passionate and loyal woman, and a fiercely devoted mother?