Still mourning the death of her young son four years ago, Annie Delgado is desperate to pursue her dream of becoming an Archeologist, in the hopes of finding meaning in her life, once again. While on a dig in Northern New Mexico, Annie stumbles upon a pile of decomposing bodies and is thrown, head-long into the mysteries of the Penitentes, an ancient, secret society of devoutly religious people, whose Chosen Ones, the Cristos are dying each year. Pete Marshall, Annie's colleague, reluctantly shares with her his suspicions that the Cristos are being murdered. Together, they set out to find the truth and save the life of the next Cristo -- and, as they soon find out, their own.