Living with physical pain from a near-fatal war wound and the guilt of a tragedy caused by his carelessness, World War II veteran and young seminarian Albert Whelan finds himself increasingly disillusioned by perceived changes in direction of the Roman Catholic Church away from the spiritual and towards the political. His misgivings are a sixth sense he cannot tap into, as he is unaware of his status as a prime target for indoctrination of a Soviet plot to infiltrate the Church from within through seminarian recruitment. However, the agent posing as a priest leading the Soviet subversion effort in New York has a deeper, more sinister motive for maintaining authority over Albert. Consumed with a desire for revenge, he believes Albert may be “The One” bent on destroying him, threatening his eternal existence.
