SG1 pops through the Stargate into a verdant cloudy forest. O’Neill notes the abundance of trees. "What a wonderfully green universe we live in, eh?" The rest of the team ignore him. Teal’c notes a path leading away from the Gate in the direction of the village the UAV spotted 11km away. Daniel comments the gate is still being used by someone. "Or some . . . thing" O’Neill Dr. Evils, complete with pinky finger. Sam finds this funny but Daniel looks confused - guess he never saw the movie. The team heads off down the path.

The village resembles a Medieval European Christian settlement. Carter says this is the first Christian society any SG team has ever found. Daniel guesses the people must have been brought through the Antarctica gate during the Dark Ages. Teal’c wonders which Goa’uld was responsible. Throughout this scene Daniel and Teal’c are standing together slightly downhill of Jack and Sam who are standing very close together. The team moves off down the hill as Daniel mentions the Goa’uld usually rule their kidnapped humans as a god. If this group is Christian it suggests their Goa’uld is playing "God?" Jack finishes. "As in GOD, God? Bit of a stretch, don’t you think?" Daniel looks surprised at Jack’s sudden spirituality. Teal’c trumps Jack by observing that Goa’uld can’t show the "compassion or benevolence that I have read of in your Bible." Apparently Teal’c has been reading the Bible due to its importance in Western culture.

The team saunters into the middle of the village. Their arrival causes screaming panic and pandemonium among the villagers. Daniel tries to explain they are harmless as people run inside and slam their doors. Jack examines a carved stone tablet depicting a cross, four flowers that look a little like stargates, human figures cowering in fear and a large reptilian figure menacing/ruling them. The images are surrounded by writing Daniel identifies as "Middle English, pre-Chaucer. It’s a derivative of the Catholic Prayer for Suffering Souls." Jack ignores Daniel. He wanders off looking around when he sees a young women on the ground, chained to a post in the middle of the square. As Jack starts towards her his expression quite clearly says "What are we in the middle of this time?" The team surrounds the girl. Jack checks her pulse and, finding her alive, reassures her and promises to free her. A guy appears, holding a cross before him and begs the team to "spare her, please." Daniel launches into his ‘we’re peaceful and friendly’ routine again and introduces himself. The guy says his name is Simon and declares since SG1 came through "the circle of Darkness [they] must be His brethren" He says if they refuse the girl, Mary, as a sacrifice the villagers will choose another possessed soul and Mary will be spared. Daniel puts 2 and 2 together and says "He thinks we’re demons" Jack looks unsurprised and tells Simon they are just "human, like you." Daniel spoils Jack’s attempt at reassuring Simon by suddenly asking if other demons come through the Stargate. Simon says "You know He does" Daniel insists they don’t know but they would like to - "What does He look like?" Teal’c uses his staff weapon to shoot the Mary’s chains off the post. Simon shouts at her to run into his house and then offers himself to SG1 as a replacement sacrifice. Jack points out Mary is sick, not possessed and they can help, since they aren’t demons. Simon finally lowers his cross. Inside Simon’s house Jack has diagnosed Mary’s illness as chicken pox and says once her fever breaks she’ll get better in a couple of days. Unfortunately, Mary doesn’t have that long - the elders want to trepan her that night in preparation for the sacrifice. Daniel explains that trepanning was the Medieval practice of drilling holes in people’s skulls to release the evil spirits possessing them.

Outside a horn sounds, causing Simon and Mary to look terrified and begin to pray. A man’s voice shouts "The demon comes!" The team runs to the windows and peers out to see a large reptilian creature in chunks of plate armor and chain mail entering the town square. "Damn," Jack says, looking at Teal’c, "Unas?" Teal’c agrees, identifying the critter as "the first host of the Goa’uld" Jack points out they already killed him but Teal’c says the Unas are a species - there are lots of them. This one seems annoyed at the lack of a sacrifice. He reminds whoever is listening that "The time of Sacrifice is at hand. My lord Satan calls for five wretched souls to be claimed as his." The team realizes the Unas is in fact gathering host bodies for Sokar. Having said his piece the Unas leaves, promising to return at sunrise for his five victims or a whole bunch of townspeople, whichever. Daniel observes the Goa’uld isn’t playing God - he’s playing the devil. Simon leaps up and starts babbling hysterically about the ToS and the Canon returning soon. He pulls a bundle out from beneath Mary’s bed as Jack tries to explain what the ‘demon’ actually is. He gets Simon’s attention as he explains about the "big, ugly creature" with Daniel completely failing to help with his interjections about the Goa’uld’s strength, intelligence and resiliency and Sokar’s resemblance to Satan. To his credit Jack does not smack Daniel or tell him to shut up as he finishes "but it’s NOT a demon." Teal’c points out the Unas is controlling the people through fear. "You do not fear it?" Simon asks, taking a good look at the deadly weapons Jack and Teal’c are holding. "You have killed an Unas once before?" Jack confirms this. Daniel and Teal’c attempt to rein him in with reminders of how hard Unas are to kill and that Sokar is sure to seek revenge but Jack goes into full-on Hero mode as he declares "these people are being terrorized. We have the power to stop it." Daniel and Teal’c continue their arguments.

Teal’c : Sokar will seek revenge.
Jack : All right, so we’ll have them bury the gate after we’ve gone.
Daniel : They could come in ships.
Jack : Ships?
Sam : I can’t be sure but the coordinates are years away from any known Goa’uld home world. Even with their fastest ships.

Just then another bell tolls and Simon announces "the Canon has returned!" Apparently the Canon is the village’s spiritual leader and the one who chooses the people to be sacrificed. Jack’s expression suggests he knows where this development is going to lead. Sure enough, as soon as Simon explains the situation, and SG1’s presence, the Canon starts bellowing about Simon having doomed everyone by taking the team in. When Daniel tries yet again to convey their good intentions Canon immediately declares Teal’c bears the mark of the devil. At this Jack gets fed up and explains once again about the team being Unas-busters and repeats his offer to help them end the sacrifices. The townspeople look hopeful but the Canon gets kind of tight lipped as he sees his power base eroding. He declares SG1 "unclean" and says they "shall be struck down." He touches a ring on his finger that looks an awful lot like Goa’uld technology and immediately storm clouds gather over the town. The villagers run in terror and Simon cowers as a bolt of energy shoots from the sky and drops the team where they stand. The Canon looks evilly satisfied. Sam awakens to see Jack leaning against the bars of their cage, watching her and chewing on a stalk of hay. She notes they’ve been disarmed. Jack agrees and points out Teal’c is missing. Daniel rolls over in the hay covering the ground of the cage and asks "Did we just get struck by a big bolt of lightning?" Carter observes it felt like a Zat gun blast and that the Canon touched his ring right before it happened. Jack orders Carter to kick him the next time he gets all Good Samaritan-y.

Simon runs up to the cage. He has been trying to tell the Canon SG1 aren’t demons but the Canon won’t listen to him. Simon is spineless and seems awfully credulous. Accompanied by screams of "He’s evil, burn him" Teal’c is led in looking battered and cut up. He gets chained to a post. Meanwhile the Canon pontificates about their duty to discover and punish demons and witches as the blacksmith heats a poker until it is red hot. Daniel exposits about the devil’s mark - a mark placed by the Devil on the body of a witch that is impervious to pain. The Canon places the poker against the serpent tattoo on Teal’c’s forehead. Teal’c fails to scream or burn so the Canon declares the Jaffa has failed the first test. They march Teal’c and the rest of the gang onto a quay out into a pond. Daniel and Sam helpfully explain that test #2 is a water trial. The accused is weighted down and tossed into a body of water. If he sinks (and drowns) he is innocent. If he floats, he is a witch and is burned at the stake. While SG1 scream fruitlessly in protest (Jack receives a hay rake to the face for calling the Canon an SOB) Teal’c is pushed into the drink. He sinks like a rock, in this case the one chained to his feet and as SG1 watch in horror the air bubbles rising from the pond bottom slow and stop. The Canon pronounces God’s will has been done and everyone troops back to town.

Nighttime. Teal’c’s body has been recovered and laid out in the town square in full view of Jack, Sam and Daniel, who are back in their cage. There are a couple of women washing the body. The Canon comes up to tell the team since Teal’c’s soul is clean he will be given a Christian burial and SG1 are free to depart through the Circle of Darkness, as long as they never return. Jack snarls he would break the Canon’s neck if it weren’t for the ring the Canon wears. The rest of SG1 looks angry and sad as the Canon moves away. Simon creeps up to the cage to apologize. Daniel and Jack try to make him see the other side of the village’s politics, pointing out that the canon "maintains control by deciding who gets sacrificed." Simon can't handle any more readjustments to his world view and cuts them off. He says their release is a dispensation granted to him by the Canon and motions a guard to unlock the cage. Jack, Sam and Daniel move towards the bier bearing Teal’c’s body and stop for a moment before Jack demands their gear. Simon asks if they will still help him if he gets their stuff. The team reacts incredulously to this and Sam almost angrily points out that the villagers can bury the Stargate after SG1 is gone. Simon says they can’t since the villagers are forbidden to approach the gate. They are interrupted by another man who tells Simon they are ready. Apparently Simon is going to perform the trepanning ritual on Mary to try and cleanse her soul before she can be chosen as one of the sacrifices. As Simon leaves Daniel turns and says "Jack-" but Jack doesn’t want to hear it. Daniel points out if they don’t help they are condemning Mary to death and Teal’c will have died for nothing.

In his house Simon is telling Mary about how great Heaven will be She looks supremely unconvinced as she replies "I know."

Back at the bier Daniel tells Jack and Sam to go back to the gate without him. He is going to prevent Simon from drilling a hole in Mary’s head. Daniel marches off. Jack watches him go and grimaces, then looks over his shoulder at Carter, who seems to reach out to touch his arm before thinking better of it. They follow Daniel.

In Simon’s house, Simon slowly gets out his hand drill while his buddy pins Mary’s head between his hands. The tip of the drill is about to contact Mary’s forehead when Daniel bursts in, yelling. He offers to take Simon and Mary back to earth "where there are no demons". Simon agrees and Jack takes the drill from Simon’s hand.

At the bier the attendants start enshrouding Teal’c’s body.

Simon’s House. Mary’s fever is down and she’s getting better.

The bier. The attendants are praying. Teal’c sits bolt upright and takes a deep breath. The women run screaming. Sam, Jack and Daniel come out to see what is going on. Junior absorbed oxygen from the water and passed it to Teal’c to keep his brain alive. Now everybody is happy. Watching the townspeople scream and run Jack quips "You’d think these people never saw a guy rise from the dead before." Teal’c smiles. The Canon doesn’t think it at all funny and declares SG1 are all evil, and now they get to be tomorrow’s sacrifice. As they are led away Jack orders Carter "the next time Daniel gets the urge to help someone - shoot him." The team get chained to the posts where they first found Mary along with the aforementioned who gets to be Sacrifice #5. Simon apologizes spinelessly to Mary, saying he cannot help her because the Canon has spoken. "What are you - the village idiot?" Jack snaps. Simon slinks cravenly off into the night.

Morning. Daniel draws Jack’s attention to Simon who is lurking in a corner of the square. Jack shouts at Simon, demanding he do something. Simon just huddles in his corner. A horn sounds and the Unas stomps into the village. Jack greets him with a cheerful "Morning!" He continues with a bit of demon-baiting which accomplishes nothing useful as the Unas lifts Jack three feet off the ground by his neck and slams him down again. As SG1 are led away at the end of a long chain Simon’s buddy whispers "If they truly are servants of Satan why does he resist?" Simon looks blank. Approaching the gate the Unas is leading his captives a long the crest of a steep hill. Jack looks down the bank and back at the rest of the team. Daniel explains quietly to Mary they are going to take a tumble and she should "scrunch herself into a ball and roll" At Jack’s nod they all dive down the bank. At the bottom the Chain Gang leap to their feet and book through the woods.

In the village the canon takes a moment to inform Simon if he doesn’t shape up next year it will be him on a post. Only he does it all pseudo-concerned and fatherly-like. Just as the Unas catches up to the Chain Gang Simon appears holding one of SG1’s packs and Teal’c’s staff weapon. The Unas attaches the chain to a tree and stomps toward Simon, uttering threats. Finally Simon clues in and shoot the critter several times, causing it to leak green goo, but not enough. The Unas backhands Simon who drops the staff weapon as he is thrown through the air. As the Unas approaches Simon flees through the woods. Mary grabs the staff weapon and passes it down the chain to Teal’c who frees them all with a few quick shots. Jack orders Carter and Daniel to take Mary to the gate as he and Teal’c set off in pursuit of the Unas.

The first person to find Simon is the Canon who is all "What have you done?" He doesn’t get an answer though, since the Unas appears almost immediately. For some reason Simon tries to use his body to shield the Canon from the Unas. The Unas rumbles "Your God has abandoned you" This causes Simon to get his spine out of storage as he replies "My God is with me always." The Unas expresses contempt for the new, improved Simon by back handing him again and advancing on the Canon, who screams. Jack and Teal’c race into the clearing to find the Unas a goo covered corpse. Teal’c examines the critter - apparently the wounds Simon inflicted with the staff weapon were fatal. The Canon adds it collapsed after smacking Simon. "So" Jack says triumphantly, "NOT a demon." Teal’c points out Sokar will be wondering what happened to his Unas and Jack reiterates the necessity of burying the Gate. The Canon agrees and when Jack asks for it, hands over his ring. Simon wakes up all surprised he is not dead. Jack and Teal’c help him up. At the gate Mary and Simon have a tearful reunion with lots of hugging. The Bishop thanks the team for helping him see the light. Jack is all "No problem" and orders Sam to dial up Earth. She presses the first symbol and freezes. Turning slowly she says "It went into him." Teal’c points his staff weapon at the Canon who is all "What’s wrong, everything’s fine." Jack asks Carter if she is sure. She replies that she "can sense it. The Unas host was dying . It had nowhere else to go. It went into him." The Canon’s eyes glow as he lunges at Carter. Jack brings his pistol up and fires three times. The Canon drops, fatally wounded. Carter runs over to the body to take a pulse. The Canon gasps "forgive me" and dies. Simon pronounces the Prayer for Suffering Souls. Sam goes back to dialing home as Jack confirms that Simon and Mary will bury the gate. "There will be no more sacrifices." says Simon. "Thank God," replies Jack.  

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