A series of mysterious murders is terrorizing the city of Los Angeles. Every death scene has one clue in common - claw and tooth marks on the bloody remains of victims. Adrian Thompson suspects Richard Vasquez, professor of Archeology at UCLA, and her ex-lover. Her suspicions are fueled by the memory of their near death experiences in Guatemala. In the ancient Mayan city of Seibal, they had become involved with the mystical jaguar cult of local villagers still offering sacrifices to a bloodthirsty shape shifter god. In the face of overwhelming but circumstantial evidence, both she and the police find themselves trailing the wrong man. Almost too late, they discover a more sinister force is responsible for the murders, and Richard offers the only hope of ending the senseless killings. However, Richard must decide if he is willing to pay the terrible price exacted from anyone seeking the death of a god.