Having lived through traumatizing events during WWII, Father Lankester Merrin takes a sabbatical from the Church to conduct archaeological excavations in British-administered East Africa. Merrin unearths an ancient Byzantine church believed have been built and then immediately buried to keep down evil from the crypt below. The natives are convinced that uncovering the church has unleashed a demon, and begin to violently clash with the British military troops. As the village rapidly disintegrates into chaos and war, Merrin must face-off with the demon which has taken possession of somebody close to him.

Haunted by terrible acts the Nazis forced him to participate in, the disenchanted Father Lankester Merrin focuses his energies on helping with an archaeological dig in the northern part of Kenya. There, the crew uncovers a church that predates Christian missions into the area, but the discovery also causes strange events to start occurring — including physical changes to a young, disabled boy, whom Merrin grows to suspect has been possessed by a demon.

England has been overrun by a pandemic with no apparent cure. As the infection continues to spread, safety – for a lucky few – looms in the form of a damaged 747 set to seek solace abroad. It’s only once the plane is airborne that the survivors discover the infection made it onto the flight with them.

It’s the late 1960s, homosexuality has only just been legalised and Jeremy Thorpe, the leader of the Liberal party, has a secret he’s desperate to hide.