A mysterious man, calling himself David Bannon, breaks the wax seal on a parchment note and drops the paper on a Haitian beach. As David leaves, dead fish wash up on the shore. Later, Father Lucci, an emissary of the Vatican, travels to a village in the Israeli desert which has inexplicably frozen over. As experts ponder the mystery, Father Lucci notices a letter with a broken seal buried in the ice, and reveals that this village was built over Sodom, a village destroyed by the wrath of God centuries earlier. In Venice, California, Abby Quinn, who previously lost a baby, is reassured by Dr. Inness that her current pregnancy is progressing well as they approach the baby’s leap year due date, February 29. At home, Abby’s husband, Russell, is upset that the state denied an appeal to stop the execution of his client, Jimmy. Russell has a strong case that Jimmy’s trial lawyer was incompetent, and plans to appeal again. He is relieved to hear the baby is doing well. Abby attempted suicide after their first baby’s death, and Russell worries about losing her if this baby also dies. That night, Abby dreams of walking through a catacomb toward a gate, where a man wearing a signet ring strikes another man across the face, and asks Abby if she would die for him. Abby wakes up screaming, “No.” Russell and Penny Washburn, an expert on death sentence appeals, visit Jimmy in prison. Russell wants to have Jimmy declared incompetent so the court will consider an appeal, but Jimmy refuses to go to the hospital. His parents were brother and sister, and Jimmy insists he executed them according to the word of God. Russell argues that incest may be against the laws of God, but Jimmy will be sent to the gas chamber according to California law. However, Jimmy refuses to change his mind. The mysterious stranger, David Bannon, arrives in California and rents Abby and Russell’s garage apartment. When they invite their new boarder to dinner, a sparrow flies into the room. Abby reaches for a broom, but David stops her and the bird flies outside. David apologizes for being abrupt, and shares the Hebrew story of the hall of souls, known as the “Guf.” Whenever a baby is born, only sparrows see its soul descend from the Guf and they sing to celebrate. Abby likes the tale and buys a mobile of sparrows at a baby store. It is raining outside, and she sees David. Planning to offer him a ride, she follows David into a synagogue. However, a janitor stops her and claims no one else entered. David watches from a balcony as Abby leaves. He breaks the seal on another parchment and Abby collapses in pain as David drops the paper. Abby is stabilized at the hospital, but Dr. Inness warns Russell that they must keep Abby from going into labor for another two weeks. Abby believes the problem is different from her earlier pregnancy, but no one listens. Father Lucci travels to Nicaragua, finds a river of blood, and realizes it is another apocalyptic prophesy fulfilled. However, Father Lucci reports to the Vatican that the various incidents are not signs of the apocalypse, and declares everything is scientifically explainable or a hoax. David visits Abby, and watches the violent news coverage on television. He used to think the world would change, but now he believes it has not because mankind lacks faith. David declares the course toward death is chosen, and he is sorry about the baby. Abby sneaks into David’s apartment and searches his desk, discovering articles about death, Jimmy’s execution, and dismembered infants. She takes a paper written in Hebrew, with the date “2-29” at the top. Abby worries that the parchment refers to her baby’s birthday, but Russell believes she is overreacting. He insists David is not after the baby, but agrees to ask him to leave. Abby meets with Avi, a Jewish teenager, who tells her the letter is written in a secret Hebrew code, and “2-29” is not a date, but refers to a biblical passage that talks about signs preceding the apocalypse. At the library, Abby discovers the “Guf” is the final sign of the apocalypse. There are a finite number of souls in the Guf and when it is empty, the first infant born without a soul heralds the end of the world. Abby thinks David is a religious fanatic who believes killing her baby will end the world. Hysterical, she telephones Russell’s office and he takes her call, missing his opportunity to speak to the governor about staying Jimmy’s execution. He asks his colleague Penny to try the governor again as he leaves to meet Abby at home. Another prophesy, the blood red eclipse, occurs as Abby returns home to find David waiting. The baby is dying, he informs her, because the Guf is empty and the child has no soul. David admits he tried to intercede, but God has judged mankind. Abby picks up a knife, but David tells her he cannot die again. He was the lamb in a prior incarnation, but has returned as a lion. David wants Abby to know the truth and reaches for her. She stabs him with the knife and golden light emanates from David’s wound. Abby faints and is rushed to the emergency room, where no one believes her story. Sedated, she has another vision of walking through a tunnel, and realizes the man being hit is David, who was Jesus Christ. Dr. Inness tells Russell that Abby’s delusions may seem real, but they are a result of stress. When Abby returns home, Russell leaves her with a nurse while he returns to work on Jimmy’s appeal. Father Lucci arrives at a rectory in California and an old priest recognizes him as “Father Morel,” wondering why Morel has not aged in seventy years. Lucci murders the old priest to silence him. David visits Abby and she asks what might happen if an apocalyptic sign was stopped. David reveals the chain would be broken, but he looks at the scars on her wrists and wonders how someone who had so little hope could give life to the world. She determines to try and goes downtown to find Avi. As she nears Avi’s home, a hailstorm begins. Abby trips and Father Lucci comes to her rescue, telling her that he has come to help her and the baby. He knows she is the seventh and final sign, and she shares that David told her God would grant the world a second chance if one of the signs was halted. As he doubts the signs can be stopped, Abby notices his signet ring, and the complete memory of her previous life comes back to her. Abby was present when Lucci struck Christ and asked if she would die for him. Lucci admits to being Cartaphilus, Pontius Pilate’s gatekeeper who struck Christ and was subsequently cursed to live until the world dies. Lucci claims Abby is his deliverance from that curse. She runs away to find Avi, and they discuss the remaining signs of the apocalypse, including the death of the last martyr and an earthquake. When Abby and Avi learn that Jimmy’s appeal was denied and he is about to be executed, they realize the “Word of God” killer is the last martyr. Abby and Avi rush to the prison to halt the execution, and burst inside as Father Lucci accompanies Jimmy into the gas chamber area. Father Lucci grabs a guard’s gun and aims at Jimmy, but Abby dives in the way and is hit by the bullet. However, Jimmy was also shot and he dies. A massive earthquake begins as Abby goes into labor, and she is rushed to the hospital. Abby gives birth to a boy, but the baby does not have a heartbeat. Abby cries out that she will die for him and reaches for the baby. She grasps his hand and hears her son cry before she dies. As the baby lives and the earthquake stops, David appears. He tells Russell that Abby’s hope filled the hall of souls again. David tells Avi to share Abby’s story so people will take advantage of the opportunity she has given them, then he walks off into the light.