A Roman noble, Cethegus, tries to start a war, setting the Ostrogoths and their Queen, Amalasuntha, against the Byzantine Emperor Justinian; Cethegus wants to swoop in after they have destroyed each other and create a new Roman Empire from their combined kingdoms; however, he does not factor into his plans the vagaries of love and the personal integrity of the people in both kingdoms.
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
 Laurence HarveyCethegus | Cethegus |
 Orson WellesJustinian | Justinian |
 Sylva KoscinaEmpress Theodora | Empress Theodora |
 Harriet AnderssonMathaswintha | Mathaswintha |
 Honor BlackmanAmalaswintha | Amalaswintha |
 Robert HoffmannTotila | Totila |
 Michael DunnNarses | Narses |
 Ingrid BoultingJulia | Julia |
 Lang JeffriesBelisarius | Belisarius |
 Florin PiersicWitichis | Witichis |
 Emanoil PetruţTeja | Teja |
 Friedrich von LedeburHildebrand | Hildebrand |
 Dieter EpplerThorismund | Thorismund |
 Ewa StrömbergRauthgundis | Rauthgundis |
 Ion DichiseanuFurius | Furius |
 Adela MărculescuAspa | Aspa |
| CConstantin BrezeanuPlurius | Plurius |
| GGheorge BoghitaGuntharis | Guntharis |
| MMircea AngelescuAligern | Aligern |
 Fory EtterleNot listed | Not listed |