In the 3rd century BC, after the First Punic War, Carthage suffered a devastating naval defeat at the hands of the Roman Republic. While the general of the Carthaginian army, Hamilcar, was forced to accede to a humiliating peace treaty, his son Hannibal Barca—an unemotive 6-year-old with an unmatched genius—was prophesied by the Carthaginians to be the destined conqueror of Rome.

Years later, an adult Hannibal leads an army of 50,000 into Hispania—a peninsula under the protection of Rome—thereby triggering the Second Punic War. The Roman senate is dumbfounded, as their opponents' chances of success are thought to be slim; however, the young and prodigious Publius Cornelius Scipio quickly recognizes the threat posed by the gifted Carthaginian general. As a result of Hannibal's invasion, Scipio rallies a Roman army of 100,000 in preparation for a fateful confrontation. Based on ancient historic events, Ad Astra: Scipio to Hannibal follows two remarkable military commanders and a battle that could make or break their empires.