Presents a satirical drama about Satan's visit to Moscow, where he learns that the citizens no longer believe in God. He decides to teach them a lesson by perpetrating a series of horrific tricks. Combines two distinct yet interwoven parts, one set in contemporary Moscow, the other in ancient Jerusalem.

Set in Moscow during the time of Stalin, several story-lines are intertwined. A writer (the Master) has produced a manuscript of a play about Pontius Pilate. It appears that government agents are intent on suppressing the manuscript. Paranoia sets in as the Master believes that not only the Devil himself is after him, but that his assistant Margarita is conspiring with the forces of evil. Paralleling this is the story of Yeshua and Pontius Pilate....