The married life of John and Susan Carter seems happy. They love each other and their beautiful London home, they have a lot to talk about, but one topic that is not discussed is children. The Carters do not and will not have children. John decided so - after all, he has a special right to this - and his devoted wife supported him, deeply hiding her disappointment and pain. But suddenly, for inexplicable reasons, their financial well-being collapses. The situation threatens the loss of their home, the Carters are in despair, but at that moment a mysterious stranger appears on the horizon and offers help in exchange for... a child. Surrogate motherhood does not frighten Susan; on the contrary, this prospect seems attractive to her in its own way, John is ready to endure for some nine months, and the couple accepts the offer of a strange benefactor, not suspecting that from that day on they have become an instrument of some unknown forces. Previously, the novel was published under title "Antichrist".