Having spent 10 years in prison for nationalist activities, Shack Twala is finally ordered released by the South African Supreme Court but he finds himself almost immediately on the run after a run-in with the police. Assisted by his lawyer Rina Van Niekirk and visiting British engineer Jim Keogh, he heads for Capetown where he hopes to recover a stash of diamonds, meant to finance revolutionary activities, that he had entrusted to a dentist before his incarceration. Along the way, they are followed by Major Horn of the South African State security bureau and it becomes apparent that he has no intention of arresting them until they reach their final destination

理查德（科林·费斯 Colin Firth 饰）是一位内心里正义感非常丰沛的年轻律师，因为看不惯大城市里的尔虞我诈官商勾结，他带着他的搭档马提尔（吉姆·卡特 Jim Carter 饰）回到了乡下，希望能够在这里找回曾经简单质朴的生活。
然而，现实并不是理查德想象中的那样单纯，即便是看似宁静淡薄的乡村，依然有蠢蠢欲动的邪恶和权谋争斗隐藏在平静的水面之下。一位名叫萨米尔（阿明娜·安娜比 Amina Annabi 饰）的女子找到了理查德，她背负上了一级谋杀的罪名，死者还是个孩子，她希望理查德能够为自己辩护。善良的理查德结下了萨米尔的案子，殊不知从那一刻起，他已经被卷入了阴谋的旋涡之中。

一个和尚被魔鬼的使者，一个穿着和尚长袍的年轻女孩性诱惑。当受到宗教裁判所的威胁时，他宣布效忠魔鬼一方，赢得了自由，并最终成为教皇。