Umberto Eco's famous best-seller is brought to the screen in this drama. The time is the early 14th century and a conclave is about to convene at a Dominican abbey to decide whether the Church should give away some of its wealth. William of Baskerville (Sean Connery) is a Franciscan monk-cum-private investigator who is on his way to the abbey with his attendant (Christian Slater). After some horrible murders occur (one monk is dragged into a vat filled with pig's blood and drowns) Baskerville starts to investigate. The evil Holy Inquisitor Bernardo Gui (F. Murray Abraham) can hardly wait to smell the burning flesh of the heretics who murdered in the Devil's name. Since he does not like Baskerville, he is inclined to put him at the top of his list of the devilishly influenced. This battle, along with an ideological war between Franciscans and Dominicans, is fought while the mystery of the murders is slowly resolved.