At the dawn of the new millennium, in the cradle of faith that is Jerusalem, two seemingly mismatched people from different worlds and cultures - Vatican-appointed Jesuit priest Matt Gutierrez (Banderas) and Israeli archaeologist Sharon Golban (Williams) - make a tenuous alliance to investigate a find that not only threatens the very foundations of western religion, but also blow apart the region's fragile peace.



Behind a simple hardware store on Hanevi'im Street, Sharon has discovered an ancient skeleton in a rich man's tomb. Coloration on the wrist and leg bones indicate that the cause of death was the Roman method of executing criminals and enemies of the state, crucifixion. A gold coin found in the tomb bears the markings of Roman governor Pontius Pilate. And there are other signs which might corroborate Biblical descriptions of the death of the first century Judean rabbi Yeshu Ben Yosef... better known to our world as Jesus, son of Joseph. Now, against increasingly difficult odds placed in their path by those locked in the power struggle for this transcendently beautiful but eternally troubled part of the world--politicians, clerics, religious extremists and those using terror as a means to an end--Matt, a man of faith and Sharon, a woman of science, find their beliefs and identities tested while risking their lives to penetrate the truth of this epochal discovery.