God wants the original Ten Commandments back. But no Angel is allowed to travel to earth to get them. The Angels have to 'create' a human being smart enough to find the Stone Tablets, and willing to sacrifice his or her life in order to return the Tablets to Heaven.

The Angels design an ingenious and at the same time merciless plan to achieve their goal. The plan shapes up when two men on earth meet each other apparently by coincidence. One is Onno Quist (Stephen Fry), an eccentric linguist and son of a former Prime Minister. The other is Max Delius (Greg Wise), son of a Nazi father and a Jewish mother. The two men become friends. Only one person can intrude into the intimacy of their friendship: Ada Brons (Flora Montgomery), a young cello player.

Ada becomes pregnant. She doesn't know whether Max or Onno is the father. The boy born, Quinten, rapidly develops as a very special and very gifted child. Is he the chosen one? Will he be capable to complete the Angels task?