Three years after the Crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth, rumors that he is a prophet who has risen from the dead are inciting the people to rebel against their Roman rulers. In an effort to control the unrest, the Roman Emperor Tiberius sends Taurus, a loyal Roman official, to Judea to find Jesus or his missing body and disprove the story. Taurus soon finds himself hampered in his investigation by governor Pontius Pilate (who is anxious to keep the details of Jesus' last moments on Calvary from becoming public knowledge) and drawn deeply into a maze of passion and faith.