In 1941, Maxo Vanka is commissioned to paint murals in a tiny church near Pittsburgh. The job is perfect until a ghost that only he can see returns to terrify him in the deep midnight hours as he works. It is the second time that the artist has been invited to create murals for the local priest who has become a good friend. Father Zagar, a progressive clergyman, gives the artist free rein. Despite his fears, Maxo pours out his passions on the walls, especially his hatred of war as the Nazis encroach across Europe and into his beloved Yugoslavia. Soon, frightening scenes in vivid strokes and ominous colors reel from the church's surfaces, but they cannot rival the chill, silent oppression wrought by the tall, faceless spirit when it appears without warning. Maxo vows to solve the mystery of the specter alone and does not tell the priest that the ghost from four years ago is back. Instead, he explores his own past for clues about why the spirit descends upon him and only him. However, when one of his paintings is ravaged, and the church sustains damage, Maxo realizes that he may face a much graver danger than he first imagined.