587 BCE: Nebuchadnezzar II conquers Jerusalem.

Jehoash, the builder, is killed while trying to protect his daughter from attempted rape. In his stead, Nebuchadnezzar abducts Jonathan, Jehoash's son, and Raphaela to Babylon.

Jonathan is fascinated by the architecture of Babylon and quickly adapts to the new circumstances. Raphaela feels torn between her two worlds. Love and friendship draw her to the Babylonians, but her faith draws her back to her people. She forms a fast friendship with Amytis, the wife of Nebuchadnezzar. Together with Amytis, Nebuchadnezzar's successor Nabonidus and her brother Jonathan, Raphaela creates one of the Seven Wonders of the World: The Hanging Gardens of Babylon.