On the eve of his confrontation with Lucifer and his demons, Michael, Commander-in-Chief of Heaven's legions, finds himself hesitant to act against the angel who befriended him and taught him to believe in himself even though he turned out to be a false friend who used Michael to further his rebellion against God. Michael's mentor, Uriel, leads him to see that Lucifer's purpose in befriending him was to confuse him about his divinely appointed mission by gradually replacing his trust in God with dependence on him. Having regained his sense of mission and confidence in himself as Commander-in-Chief of the legions, thanks to Uriel's tutelage, Michael drives Lucifer and his followers from heaven.
After his defeat, Lucifer and Michael continue their struggle as Lucifer seeks to undermine God's plan for humanity. He protests that God committed an injustice in creating him as an autonomous agent but not allowing him to test the full range of freedom. Michael counters by arguing that freedom separated from truth is an illusion. Lucifer replies that truth is nothing but the power of God to impose his will on others. Not even killing innocent people is objectively wrong; in fact, he rhapsodizes, it can be a work of art. As the drama of their war unfolds, the real object of Lucifer's quest for self-realization becomes increasingly clear, as Michael slowly understands that what Lucifer wanted was not freedom, but something he himself was not ready to accept.