"Darkness descends" covers the period from the Council of Nicea in 324 through to the death of Justinian in 565. This period is known as the dark ages, hence the title of this volume. Opening with a description of how Christians struggled to define the nature of Christ, the focus then moves to a description of the barbarian invasions, including the sack of Rome, Attila and the Huns, and the disintegration of the West. Darkness Descends closes with the birth of the medieval world, covering Augustine, Irish monasticism, the rise of the Frankish kingdom, and the foundation of the Byzantine empire.