The Arena is a place where men and beasts fight for honor, for glory, for their lives, and for the perverted whims of the ruling elite. Here, slaves and criminals get a chance to pay back their debt to society, or at least give the bored and idle rich a good show.
It is also a place of mystery, danger, and intrigue. For one man trying to win his freedom and rediscover what is most dear to him, this place becomes fateful for him and the entire Empire.