Two murders at opposite ends of America, one in the backstreets of New York City, the other in the backwoods of Montana.

A series of killings in every corner of the globe, from the crowded slums of India to the pristine beaches of Cape Town.

There can't possibly be a connection.That's the instinct of Will Monroe, a young, British-born reporter for The New York Times – until the morning his beautiful wife Beth is kidnapped.

Holding her are men who seem ready to kill without hesitation.

Desperate, Will follows a trail that leads to a mysterious sect right on his own doorstep – fervent followers of one of mankind's oldest faiths.

He will have to break through multiple layers of mysticism and ancient prophecy, unearthing riddles buried deep in the Bible – until he finds the secret that is said to have animated the world for thousands of years, a secret on which the fate of humanity may depend.

But with more murders by the hour, and each clue wrapped in layers of code, time is running out...