After former Justice Department agent Cotton Malone witnesses the theft of one of the seven precious relics of the Arma Christi, the weapons of Christ, he learns from his old boss, Stephanie Nelle, that a private auction is about to be held where incriminating information on the president of Poland will be offered to the highest bidder. The price of admission is one of the relics, so Malone is first sent to a castle in Poland to steal the Holy Lance, and then on to the auction itself. But nothing goes as planned and Malone is thrust into a bloody battle between three nations over information that, if exposed, could change the balance of power in Europe.