536 d.C.

In 536, a dry, mysterious mist covered Europe, the Middle East and parts of Asia for 18 months. The sun shone like the moon, temperatures plunged, it snowed in summer in China and harvests failed in Ireland. For many historians and scientists, it was the worst year to be alive.

Combining medieval chronicles with recent research, such as the study of ice cores and tree rings, the book reveals the cause of the disaster: a gigantic volcanic eruption. It also tells how this weakening paved the way for the Plague of Justinian, the first great bubonic plague pandemic, marking the end of the ancient world.