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This story is about the Battle of Thermopylae and how the Greeks fought against the Persians. A Persian king, Xerxes, wanted to hear this tale from a Greek soldier who was taken prisoner in battle. The soldier explains that he can only tell his story as an ordinary man on the battlefield and not a famous hero or general. The king accepts this explanation but wants to hear it anyway because he thinks it will be interesting.
Xeo is born in the city of Astakos, but when he was nine, a war broke out and destroyed his family. He lost all of his possessions and had to fend for himself with only a slave named Bruxieus. Xeo vows to kill any Argives that cross his path. One day, while stealing food from farmers, he is caught by them and nailed onto a board as punishment.
There’s a story about how two children were taken in by the Spartans. One of them, Tripod, was beaten to death for stealing food from his master. The other boy remains unnamed and is referred to as “the unnamed one” throughout most of the book. He lived with the Spartans until he was about 10 years old when he went back home because his guardian died and he had no place to go. His cousin took him in but they didn’t have much money so it wasn’t easy for them to survive or thrive. They did eventually make it out on their own after some hardships though and that’s when Xeo got into trouble with Apollo who told him that there was something special planned for him in life if only he survived long enough (which fortunately, he did).
Xeo jumps ahead into the future to when he’s working as a sparring partner for Alexandros. He tells of an incident where Polynikes breaks Alexandros’ nose during training and how it affects his breathing ability. Dienekes wants Xeo to push Alexandros so hard that he will overcome his fear, but Alexander is afraid of living a life without honor if he can’t become a warrior.
Sometime after this, Alexandros and Xeo follow the Spartans to a battle with another Greek city-state. They have to swim across a huge strait but survive. This strengthens their friendship and hardens Alexandros’s courage because he witnesses Leonidas’ brotherly leadership in telling the Spartans that they will face a much greater foe: The Persians.
Xeo returns to Sparta and is questioned by Rooster’s mother, Arete, about her son’s bravery on the journey. Xeo then befriends Rooster (Dienekes’ nephew) and becomes his mentor. He also learns that his vision of Apollo was real.
In the coming years, Xeo marries and fathers children. After a failed confrontation at Tempe, he plans to defend Thermopylae with three hundred Spartans who are being chosen because they have sons. Dienekes is not one of them, so he stays home.
In the movie, a brave warrior named Rooster is captured and about to be killed. However, he escapes with his family by jumping off of a cliff into the water below. He then gets caught again at another area and is about to be executed until Arete and Alexandros save him from that situation as well. This time around, it’s revealed that his son was fathered by Dienekes (one of the main characters).
Three days before the battle at Thermopylae, Dienekes takes his platoon on a hunt. He tells them about how he’s afraid of dying and they all agree that women are actually braver than men. Later, Dienekes reveals that this was Leonidas’s main selection criteria for the 300—he chose those whose wives would stand firm after their loved ones died, inspiring Greece to resist and prevail in time.
The 300 Spartans along with their squires and helots march into Thermopylae. They camp there and prepare for battle against the Persians. The Spartans reject an embassy from the Persian army, urging them to betray their allies and become vassals of Persia. Soon after this happens, a fierce battle starts between both sides. Though outnumbered by the Persians, the Spartans use discipline and position advantage to fight back at them effectively.
