In the beginning was the Word. And the Word writhed and twisted in the tongues of men until Good could no longer be distinguished from Evil.

Jakob d'Winter knows the Word better than any man. Deep in the heart of the Louisiana bayou he preaches it to his congregation while he waits for a sign from God.

Meanwhile, sheltered in the rural Irish village of Castlemartyr, Saul Montgomery grows up blissfully unaware of the obscure prophesy that heralded his coming. But when fate intervenes to draw him closer to the cruel preacher who has been preparing for his arrival since before he was born, neither man is quite what the other expects.