In Rome, an archaeologist from the Vatican dies in an explosion in St. Peter's Basilica. Before his death, he manages to hide among the relics of the cathedral an ancient leather pouch, which, he hopes, contains the salvation of humanity... A famous geneticist was killed in a laboratory at Princeton University... In Africa, the son of an American senator was shot dead in a Red Cross camp... Three murders on three continents, and all three victims are marked with an ancient druidic cross burned into their flesh. Commander Gray Pearson and his comrades from the Sigma special squad will have to find out what connected these people and try to save humanity from the approaching Armageddon.