Can a bad person produce good art? Darren Butts is a serial killer who claims work-of-art status for his murders. Anything-goes art taken to its final conclusion or cynical kidology? Which would be worse? Gerald Riser is a case-hardened prison chaplain who despairs for Butts's soul and his own faith. Terry Welbeck is a streetwise, media-savvy artist who cares only about Butts's market value and doesn't give a damn for his soul and even less for Riser's faith. Their three-way struggle culminates in an upfront, fight between Riser and Welbeck and a much more sinister victory for Butts scheming away tirelessly and unpunishably in the background.