Attila

The Huns, led by Attila and his brother Bleda, advance their hordes toward the western Roman lands. The threat intensifies along the frontiers as the nomadic army prepares for a probable invasion. The scene sets up an imminent collision with Rome.

Aetius and his companion Prisco carry a message from Emperor Valentinian III to the Hun king Rua and travel to the Hun capital. They learn that Bleda and Attila are the new co-rulers after Rua's death, shaping a fragile tie between Rome and the Huns. The encounter establishes the political backdrop for later alliance and betrayal.

Arriving at the Hun court, Attila's grip on power tightens when Bleda is killed during a hunt. Attila's bodyguard fires arrows at Bleda and his own protectors, allowing Attila to declare himself the sole leader of the Huns. Bleda had favored peace, but Attila's ascent signals a conquest-driven path for the tribes.

Aetius returns to the imperial capital of Ravenna and finds Valentinian III a boyish ruler absorbed in court pleasures. Galla Placidia, Valentinian's mother, acts as de facto ruler, steering the Empire's fragile politics. The looming Hun threat intensifies the sense that Rome is slipping apart.

Recognizing the crisis, Placidia grants Aetius full military powers to defend the Empire and hold the Hun advance at bay. He begins reorganizing legions and coordinating a counterstrategy. This empowerment marks a turning point in Rome's response to Attila.

Honoria, Valentian's sister, tries to enlist Aetius in a coup to seize power from Valentinian and Placidia. He refuses, bound by loyalty to the Empire and his oath of service. In retaliation, Valentinian and Placidia strip him of rank and temporarily exile him.

Honoria slips away from the Imperial court and travels to the Hun camp to seek favor with Attila. She hopes to influence his plans or gain a throne through alliance with the Huns. The act intensifies the court's instability and the risk of Roman-Hun cooperation.

The battle opens with a frontal Hun cavalry assault designed to draw Roman legions out of their fortified position. Aetius orders a pursuit, charging his cavalry and infantry into the retreating Huns. The fighting spills into the Hun camp as the two sides clash amid tents and banners.

During the confusion of the encounter, Honoria is found hiding in a nomad cart and is killed. Her death closes a volatile political subplot and alters the court's calculus. The event resonates through both camps as the true loyalties of Rome are tested.

Aetius is struck in the neck by an enemy arrow and dies, cutting off Rome's top commander at a critical moment. His death saps the Romans' will to fight and leads to disarray on the battlefield. The surviving legions begin to lose cohesion as the Hun pressure intensifies.

With their leadership decimated, the Romans retreat from the field while Hun forces burn the encampment behind them. The rout ends any immediate Roman resistance to Attila's invasion. The Hun victory consolidates Attila's momentum, though the campaign is far from over.

On the battlefield, Attila is shown with his young son Bleda as the carnage unfolds. A wounded Roman archer fires a final shot that kills Bleda, a blow that deeply unsettles Attila and shatters any lingering zeal for conquest. The moment marks a painful turning point in the Hun campaign.

On the road to Rome, Attila encounters a procession led by Pope Leo I who speaks to him from a stream between the two armies. Leo warns that indiscriminate bloodshed will haunt him, echoing a moral rebuke that echoes beyond the battlefield. Attila listens to the pope's plea and weighs his choices.

Moved by Leo's words, Attila pivots away from Rome and heads back toward the Alps. He abandons the invasion instead of conquering the city, offering Rome a temporary respite. The film closes on the uneasy peace that follows this moral turn.