Rome, ADVERTISEMENT 303. Emperor Diocletian demotes his favorite, Sebastian, from captain of the royal residence guard to the rank of common soldier and eliminates him to a remote seaside outpost where his other soldiers, compromised by their wishes, look to homosexual tasks to satisfy their demands. Sebastian becomes the target of lust for the police officer Severus, yet continuously rejects the man's advancements. Castigated for his Christian confidence, he is tortured, embarrassed as well as eventually killed.