Arnold Craft climbs from his father's dry goods store in Brooklyn, New York, to a position of prominence as a theater director in London and on Broadway, eventually becoming a film director in Hollywood. But his intense religious indoctrination from his parents-German immigrants steeped in Calvinistic doctrine-convince him that he is in a special relationship with God, so much so that he sees God's hand in everything. This chosen status, combined with worldly success, feeds Arnold's arrogance and distorts his perception of reality to the point of delusion-and ultimately results in a bizarre tragedy.
Richly dramatic, "The Godsend" is a cautionary tale of the dangers of unbridled transcendentalism.