Lucifer and the other fallen angels spark another war against Heaven by starting the
Black Death. Demons roam the Earth and God appears to leave his angels and humanity to fend for themselves. Thomas, a French knight turned brigand, saves a young girl named Delphine from being raped. After the
Battle of Crécy, Thomas's lands were stolen by the
Comte d'Évreux, and he was
excommunicated. Delphine claims she can see angels and instructs Thomas to bring her to
Paris and then
Avignon. Along the way, they meet Father Matthieu, a gay alcoholic priest. Matthieu reminisces about how he was caught with another man, losing the trust of his congregation just before the plague struck; although this makes Thomas uncomfortable, Delphine reassures him that she does not care. Delphine receives the
Holy Spear from a man selling relics in Paris. As the group leaves the city, they are attacked by possessed statues of the Virgin Mary and various saints. The group have several more confrontations with fallen angels as they move toward Avignon. Matthieu is killed by a demon in the
River Rhône. Thomas meets D'Évreux on the road and challenges him to a duel in which D'Évreux is eventually killed. Disguised as D'Évreux and his page, Thomas and Delphine reach
Avignon. They meet Matthieu's brother Robert, a servant and lover to an older cardinal. Delphine asks Robert to arrange a meeting with Pope
Clement VI. Separately, she tells Thomas that the pope has been replaced by a demon and that they must kill him. Robert informs the pope. Delphine resurrects the true Clement, who confronts the false pope along with Delphine and Thomas. Thomas and Robert are killed. Delphine is killed by the Holy Spear, but
Michael and the
heavenly host emerge from her body to defeat the false pope and his army of demons. Thomas's soul is dragged to Hell by the fleeing demons, where he is tortured. In another
Harrowing of Hell, Delphine finds him and reveals that she is both
Jesus and the young girl named Delphine. He awakens in his own body. Everyone except Thomas forgets the supernatural aspects of that night, believing the damage was from an earthquake. Thomas returns to Normandy, where he finds Delphine in her own village. She has no memory of their quest. As an old man, Thomas is a
Franciscan. He returns to the castle that was stolen from him. He speaks with his wife, but leaves the castle to visit his adopted daughter Delphine, now a nun. ==Major themes==