During a summer hike in Turkey, Stuart Pierce and Roger Warren discover the final resting place of the true cross of the crucifixion. A photo of the hidden monastery triggers a race to unlock the holy relic's secrets. Father Rafael Romero and scientist Bryce Brinkman, the pawn of a dying billionaire, rush to find the location. Stuart's parents and girlfriend, Meredith Montgomery, form a third search party. While seismologists wrestle with disclosing foreknowledge of an impending earthquake, the monks guarding the cross, descendants of the original apostles, see portents of an imminent, earth-shattering spiritual event.