Sean Connery plays a Brother who is sent to investigate the mysterious deaths of two of the monks at a monastery. He discovers a secret library containing rare books considered lost to the world and dangerous to the Catholic faith. He must find a connection between the deaths and the books before a Catholic Inquisitor (played by F. Murray Abraham) burns innocent people at the stake. Secret passages, forbidden sexual adventures, labyrinths and arsenic are drawn together to create this tale of suspense and intrigue. Based on the novel by Umberto Eco.