Right after the millennium, pilgrims of all faiths flock to the Mexican village of Santa Pelagia to witness a miraculous visitation. Among them are twenty-four who experience their own startling personal vision. A messenger appears differently to each - as the Virgin Mary, an angel of Islam, the Hindu goddess Kali - but carries the same terrifying tidings: The Day of Judgment is at hand.

To investigate this extraordinary situation come two very different men. Father Michael Deauchez is an agent of the Vatican, with personal experience of the supernatural - and a dedication to reason that will not allow him to believe the wonders he witnesses. Simon Hill is a top New York Times reporter, convinced that the events in Santa Pelagia are Pulitzer material, especially when the apocalyptic prophecies of the Twenty-Four begin to come true.

From the holiest councils of the Vatican to the boardrooms of powerful multinational corporations to the highest level of the U.S. government and military, Deauchez and Hill hunt desperately for the truth, as the prospect of the world's end looms ever closer. But what is the truth? Mass hysteria? A devious, far-reaching plot? Or has God truly spoken?