The protagonist of this experimental play by Heiner Müller is Horace. He was chosen to represent Rome in the battle with the city of Alba, when it was decided that the battle would be decided by a battle between two warriors, one on each side. His sister's fiancé opposes him. Horace wins and, although he could have avoided it, brutally kills the latter. When he returns to Rome as a winner, his sister, who came out to meet him, rushes to his bloody trophies and mourns her dead fiancé. Horace takes this as treason and kills her. And the people of Rome find themselves faced with a moral dilemma: Is Horace a hero or a murderer? After arguing, they decide to recognize both statuses in him and, after honoring the hero, execute the murderer...