In a cramped corner of the dimly-lit basement in the Israel Museum, Susan Bauer, a graduate student is translating the ancient Dead Sea Scrolls when she discovers a few words on a scroll fragment-words that have the potential to change religious beliefs worldwide. When Bauer informs prominent linguistic scientist Dr. Samuel Gold that the carbon dating on the ancient document is between 50 B.C.E. and 100 C.E., he is stunned to realize that these few words refer to a long-lost stolen manuscript that, if found, would correct misconceptions about the life of Jesus. Dr. Gold, Bauer, and a team of experts must determine if the words are evidence that the mysterious scroll really exists, how to find it, and its meaning for today"s world. The search for the stolen Secret Temple Scroll becomes a clandestine operation organized by Israel"s Mossad and as word of the scroll is leaked, the world clamors for its contents just as a surprising second scroll is unearthed. Along the twisting route of the scrolls, all those involved must face their own insecurities, but it is the anonymous scribe who has the final word in a mesmerizing depiction of his life in Galilee.