There are killers so cruel and twisted that they leave marks not only on their victims, but on everyone who crosses their path. For detectives Bentz and Montoya, such a monster is Father John, a fake priest who uses sharply sharpened rosary beads to strangle prostitutes.

Bentz thought he had put an end to the horrors of Father John years ago when he shot him deep in the New Orleans swamps. But now he finds terrifying clues that he may not have killed the dangerous killer back then. A new victim appears, her dead body marked with traditional wounds and arranged in the typical manner, down to the last detail. Either it's the work of a terrible impersonator, or Father John, the detectives' nightmare, has really returned to plague New Orleans once again.

They find another victim, and then another. Bentz is becoming convinced that Father John is indeed back. And this time it focuses on Bentz's closest ones.

The menacing killer is clearly not going to stop until he exacts revenge on what he believes to be the greatest sinner.