People bathing at a temple are gossiping about the Atoner. A young man, traveling along a tributary of the Nile River, hears about the Atoner from them. The Atoner is offered to the gods as a "sacrifice to atone for sin." Marked on the forehead, blinded, castrated, and condemned to wander, the The Atoner is both shunned and feared. Yet, despite their disgust, people do not kill the Atoner out of respect for the divine offering. The young man eventually encounters the Atoner, who becomes his traveling companion...