As Prince Nushzad, born to King Khosrow Anushirvan and a noble Christian mother, came of age, he sought to understand the mysteries of salvation and the paths of the afterlife. He studied the law of Ezra, the teachings of Christ, and the rites of Zoroaster. Yet, finding no inner conviction in the sacred Zand and Avesta of his father's realm, he washed his face in the baptismal waters of the Messiah and embraced the faith of his mother. The entire realm marvelled at a royal prince who turned away from the sacred fire. When word reached the King of Kings, Anushirvan's heart was plunged into sorrow and wrath; he lamented that his royal rose had yielded nothing but a bitter thorn. Unwilling to endure apostasy within his house, Khosrow ordered the grand gates of Nushzad's palace in Gondeshapur to be barred shut, transforming his noble residence into a prison. Thus, far from the throne of Iran and the western marches, Nushzad was locked away alongside other captives of the state.