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This historical novel by Henryk Sienkiewicz, recipient of the 1905 Nobel Prize for Literature, was published in 1896 in Polish under its Latin title, which means "where are you going?" and alludes to a New Testament verse (John 13:36).

Set in ancient Rome during the reign of the emperor Nero, the book tells the story of the love that develops between a young Christian woman and a Roman officer who, after meeting her fellow Christians, converts to her religion.

Underlying their relationship is the contrast between the worldly opulence of the Roman aristocracy and the poverty, simplicity, and spiritual power of the Christians. The novel has as a subtext the persecution and political subjugation of nineteenth-century Poland by Russia.