For centuries a secret Order has existed within the Church. Following a series of unexplained murders, renegade priest Father Alex Bernier begins an investigation that hurls him into a maelstrom of unimaginable evil, murder and the knowledge that there is a fate worse than death. Father Bernier's search takes him to The Sin Eater--a key figure in this mysterious and ancient Order. The immortal Sin Eater's role is nothing less than playing God on earth by absolving the unforgivable of their sins outside the Church, allowing greater evil to go unpunished. Burdened by centuries of evil, the Sin Eater craves the luxury of death. But who will eat his sins and grant eternal peace? Who will carry on his dark tradition and continue the work of the Order? As the young priest uncovers the answers and pursues these paragons of evil, he fights to save his own soul and that of troubled artist Mara, the woman he loves.