In the wilderness, Jesus Christ agonises with his conscience as snow falls. In the city, a demonstration is broken up by Roman soldiers and the leaders are killed. Christ, shivering in the cold, asks God if he is indeed the chosen one. He finds shelter and washes his bleeding feet.

Pontius Pilate, the governor of the Roman province of Judea, is visited by Caiaphas, the Jewish high priest. Pilate tells him that he is concerned by the number of anti-Roman agitators active in the region and that he has just executed five of them, all of whom said they were expecting the arrival of a man greater than they. Caiaphas asks Pilate that the Roman standard be covered when soldiers carry it in the holy city as it asserts Caesar's divinity and is thus offensive to them. Pilate agrees that it will be covered, on condition that the number of agitators and dissenters starts to diminish immediately.

Christ stops to watch two fisherman, Andrew and Peter, at work. They first dismiss him as a lunatic, but he convinces them that they must join him on a mission to spread the work of God and that, as prophesised, he is the man they have been waiting for.

At the temple, Caiaphas tells those present that he must be a pragmatist and so work with the Romans to ensure that their religion be protected. When told that there is a rumour of a new messiah, he dismisses this. Pilate is informed by his soldiers that the Samaritans and the Jews, normally in a state of perpetual disagreement, are jointly awaiting the arrival of a new messiah. Pilate orders that all the Samaritans be rounded up and all the prisoners killed. After the slaughter, Christ gives a sermon on the mount, exhorting everyone to turn the other cheek and to love each other and their enemies. During the sermon, a woman begins to rant and rave, but he manages to soothe her until she calms down. The crowd is in awe and asks that he lead them. Pilate hears of Christ's increasing influence.

Caiaphas dismisses Christ as a charlatan and convinces Judas Iscariot to spy on him on behalf of the temple. Judas becomes one of Christ's disciples as they head into Judea. They see a dead body being removed from a crucifix. Christ struggles to decide what to do, but finally concludes that he truly is the Messiah, and sends his disciples into the city to let the people know that he will be coming in three days and that he is the one they have been awaiting for. Pilate hears of his arrival when he strikes one of his servants, and she tells him that the messiah is coming with a message of love. He berates his soldiers for not understanding that the ideas represented by Christ are far more dangerous than any military force he might be able to assemble, despite his anti-violent stance. They cannot openly arrest and execute Christ without fear of turning him into a martyr and starting a revolt. Instead pressure will have to be brought to bear on Caiaphas to bring Christ to them instead.

Jesus goes to the temple and rails against the commercial practices being undertaken there. Caiaphas prevails upon Judas to lead the police to Christ so that he may be judged by the temple court. Despite Judas' entreaties, Christ refuses to defend himself and is found guilty of heresy and sent to Pilate. After he leaves, Caiaphas prays that the man might still be able to prove himself. In front of Pilate, Christ again refuses to defend himself. Pilate strikes him in anger and then apologises for it. Jesus calls him by name and tells him not to be scared. Pilate sentences him to crucifixion. The soldiers whip Christ and place a crown of thorns on his head. He is taken to Golgotha and nailed to the cross. With his dying breath, Christ asks God why he has forsaken him.