Rome, AD 303. Emperor Diocletian banishes Sebastiane to a remote coastal outpost where his fellow soldiers, weakened by their desires, turn to homosexual activities to satisfy their needs. Sebastian becomes the target of lust for the officer Severus, but repeatedly rejects the man's advances. Derek Jarman's first feature film is a cult classic of erotic cinema. Although it draws historically on the Christian legend of the martyr, it portrays Saint Sebastian as a gay icon.