On a care-free vacation in Italy, a young Canadian woman we know only as Nicole is touring the ancient remnants of Pompeii. It’s the amazingly preserved Roman metropolis that was engulfed by catastrophic volcanic emissions almost 2,000 years ago. She spots some dusty artifacts lying on the ground at the open archaeological site and pockets them. But it’s a petty theft that she’ll bitterly regret in the years to come.