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Monica meets her next assignment, Melina Richardson at her latest temp
job, a telemarketing agency. When the usually meek Melina is fired for
yelling at a potential customer, she decides to attend a seminar of
the Golden Path Institute hoping to find meaning in her life. After an
impassioned speech by the Golden Path's Jacob, Melina shares her
life's story with the crowd, describing how her parents deserted her,
and her fiance left her at the altar. The culmination of the seminar
is the introduction of the Golden Path's leader, the charismatic
Brother David, who persuades the attendees who "feel called" to board
a bus bound for the institute. Melina, captivated by Brother David,
gets on the bus. Tess tells Monica to stay close to her assignment. At
the institute, Monica and Melina are stripped of their possessions
because Brother David feels it is important to leave the past behind.
Melina, however, secretly keeps a picture of her ex-fiance under her
bed. When David finds the picture, he summons a meeting of the whole
group and exposes Melina's transgression forcing her to destroy the
picture. Meanwhile, a mail truck arrives at the institute with letters
for everyone, but Brother David collects them before they can be
distributed. Later he asks Melina to destroy a package for him.
Melina, unaware that it contains the mail, begins to burn the package.
At the same time, Andrew, acting as a Child Services officer, asks to
inspect the camp. David angrily refuses. Andrew warns David that he
will have to return with the authorities. In private, Monica shows
Melina and Rebecca the letters she rescued from the fire, and Rebecca
explains Brother David's plan: On September 9, 1999 all of the world's
computers will crash causing an extinction-level event. Brother David
will save his faithful followers before this happens by taking them to
heaven in a suicide pact. In an effort to prove to the group that
Brother David has been lying to them, Monica gives the people their
letters. When David finds out, he is furious but persuades the people
that this is the outside world's attempt to divide them. Softening, he
asks Melina to be his bride and, spellbound, she agrees. David insists
that the plan go into action right away because the police are already
approaching the camp. Trained for this moment, the people spring into
action, barricade the doors, and prepare the poisoned juice. But as
they are about to drink, Monica proclaims herself to be an angel, and
tells the people that God doesn't want them to die. David tells the
people that she is the devil trying to mislead them, but the people
believe Monica and led by Melina, they try to escape. David sets fire
to the building. Monica breaks the doors open and the people pour out
of the smoke-filled room. Monica tries to persuade Brother David to
leave the burning building, but still believing his own claims of
divinity, he will not. He perishes in the fire. Later the angels help
the shaken cult members reacquaint themselves using their real names
and identities.
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