Father Lankester Merrin became a non-believer after seeing the atrocities committed on the innocent during WW II. He has since moved to Africa to work as an archaeologist. There, an antiques dealer comes to him with a request. An old Christian Byzantine church has been unearthed in Kenya, surprisingly intact, as if it were buried right after its completion. Merrin is asked to find an ancient relic believed to be buried in the church. Once Merrin arrives at the excavation site, however, inexplicable tragedies strike the innocent people. Merrin soon discovers that an ancient evil force has been set free due to the excavation, and if he wants to stop it, he will have to start believing once again.