Haunted by terrible acts the Nazis forced him to participate in, the disenchanted Father Lankester Merrin (Stellan Skarsgard) focuses his energies on helping with an archaeological dig in the northern part of Kenya. There, the crew uncovers a church that predates Christian missions into the area, but the discovery also causes strange events to start occurring — including physical changes to a young, disabled boy (Billy Crawford), whom Merrin grows to suspect has been possessed by a demon.