Mark Chagall
Marc Chagall is a famous painter. In 1931 he makes his trip to Palestine. During the trip, he constantly makes sketches wherever he goes. Upon his return to Paris, he uses these sketches for some of the most intriguing and insightful paintings he has ever created. One of the sketches fascinates him the most. In this sketch, one can see a flame emanating from the top of a hill. The shape of the flame resembles the shape of a violin, flying high up above the top of the hill, one of his favorite images. Another part of the sketch depicts a man attempting to reach the violin. On the bottom of the sketch, one can see a strange inscription that reads “Dancing Violin”. For some reason, this sketch has never been used for any of his works and it is lost but not without a trace. If only Mark Chagall could imagine what chain of astounding events this presumably lost sketch would trigger.
Josephus
Josephus is a Roman historian. Through the first Judean war in 67th AD he was a famous Judean general Yosef ben Matityahu fighting the Roman occupation in Judea. The last battle he fought as a general took place during the brutal Roman siege of the fortress of Jotapata. When he and one of his soldiers were only two left alive, they agreed to surrender. It was a decisive moment for the general, when he realizes that resistance to sheer might of the Roman army is completely futile. He decides that it would be a great service to his people and a more important deed for the next generations to get a truthful account of the events in his homeland during his life. From that moment, the Judean general Yosef ben Matityahu disappears and a Roman historian Flavius Josephus, a.k.a. Josephus, is born. Would he regret his decision?
David
David is a young scientific genius, already well known to the world of academia in 1970-s for his research in the fast-developing field of Holography. His revolutionary invention culminates in a spectacular presentation he gives to the scientific community. During the presentation, his equipment malfunctions, generating some disturbing holographic images from the distant past. The whole presentation goes awry, putting his assistant in mortal danger. After living in total oblivion for the next five years, he is offered the second chance to revive his scientific career and personal life by his college pal, Steve. Their successful business allows David to perfect his invention and even bring it to the next scientific level. One of their business clients is a mysterious art collector, Joseph, who asks David to analyze a long-lost sketch of the famous painter Mark Chagall, he made in his trip to Palestine in 1931. The mystery goes deeper when during the experiment with the sketch, David, Steve and Joseph become participants in an actual ancient battle that took place 2000 years ago. But why Joseph's garb is so much different from the one he just wore? Which world is real?
Steve
Steve is an old David's friend from their college years. He is a flamboyant socialite who has never applied his scientific education, but he has a very acute business sense. He's famous in certain social circles for an uncanny ability to find a lucrative business opportunity when nobody else can see it. They are not as close with David as they used to be in college, but Steve decides to help his old pal get back in the game after the David's dreadful presentation. Together they open a very lucrative business – restoring art works using David's invention. While on a business trip, Steve makes acquaintance with an art collector, Joseph. This fateful meeting thrusts Steve, along with David, into the chain of uncanny events that involve Time bending participation in ancient battle and more. The experience forces Steve to re-evaluate many important things in his life that he has always taken for granted.
Joseph
Joseph is a mysterious art collector Steve meets at the Christi's auction in Rome. He wins a hard-fought bidding war with Steve for the Mark Chagall's sketch. Afterwards, during their conversation, he surprises Steve with his insightful knowledge of his and David's business. Joseph wants to analyze the sketch using David's invention but under one condition: he must be present during the experiment. Neither Steve nor David suspect that this very request will dramatically change the outcome of the experiment. Joseph's plan works as he, David and Steve become eyewitnesses to one of the most famous and controversial events in history. At that point, the real identity of Joseph is revealed, and his goal is achieved: he now has the second chance to rectify his past grievous misdeeds and to finally redeem himself.
Camila
Camila is the David’s wife. She makes a conscience choice to dedicate her life to her husband’s scientific career at the expense of her own talents and dreams. After David’s much-anticipated presentation goes terribly wrong and he falls into a deep depression, Camila does everything in her power to help David get back to life. But no matter how hard she tries, David falls deeper and deeper into the abyss of depression. At some point, Camila feels totally overwhelmed and powerless and decides to leave her husband and start a new life, the hardest decision she has ever made. She still loves David but is unsure if he loves her back. Moreover, she has a hunch that maybe David is not the same David she always has known and loved.
Grace
Grace is Steve’s girlfriend. She works as the head of the painting restoration department in one of the largest museums in the world. Steve offers her a business proposition, a joint venture between his and David’s company and her museum. Grace looks forward to unlimited opportunities this business venture can bring to the museum and to her professional career. Her relationship with Steve becomes a bumpy ride though, when their business cooperation gets sour. In the aftermath of the David’s experiment with the Mark Chagall sketch, Grace helps Steve and David to unlock the secret of a small artifact, dated back to the Antiquity. But how did it end up in David’s lab?
Charles
Charles is David’s assistant during his ill-fated presentation to the Optical Society of America. Before the presentation, he ensures that all equipment works as expected, constantly checking, testing and re-testing everything again and again. He is in shock and disbelief when the equipment starts malfunctioning for no apparent reason. Unfortunately, all his attempts to save the presentation fail and he himself bears the most severe consequences of that failure: he becomes very ill and lives through the near-death experience. But was this failure totally unpredictable and why does his garb resemble a slave garb from ancient Rome?