Mercenary Solomon Kane (James Purefoy) works for Queen Elizabeth I in Asia, fighting against Ottoman forces. When he encounters a demon, he becomes frightened into changing his life from one of warfare and battle, to one of peace. He returns to England and settles into a peaceful, puritanical lifestyle. This doesn't last for long though, as he is soon forced to fight against the evil sorcerer Malachi (Jason Flemyng). He does so to save the life of Meredith Crowthorn (Rachel Hurd-Wood), whose father William (Pete Postlethwaite) declared at his death that Solomon's soul would be redeemed should he save Meredith. During his efforts to rescue her Kane also encounters both his father Josiah (Max von Sydow) and his disfigured brother Marcus (Samuel Roukin).