Father Ignatius Oosterhoff, the rector of a failing seminary on the banks of the Ohio River in Angel, Ohio, gets more than he bargained for when the school's national advertisements for a new type of student draws a beach bum from California, Sylvester Ammons, who is secretly on the run from the law. It soon becomes apparent that he doesn't fit in, especially when his girlfriend has an abortion. However, he witnesses a murder at the school and joins forces with Father Oosterhoff to solve the crime. Together, they both become something other than what they were when they started out, and change the school in the process.