Discovering an abandoned school with deceased villagers inside, she begins to hallucinate and is visited by an apparition who informs her that she will give birth to the son of God.

Later in life, Jesus begins preaching faith which embraces compassion, while rejecting the corruption and brutality of the current political leadership.

While intelligence agents regard Jesus as being harmless, one of his disciples, Judas, secretly meets with the authorities and convinces them that he is a threat to society.

Mary exhumes his body from a shallow grave, as he is later set on a cross in crucified form for all the citizens of the town to view.

The theme of the film as related by director Dornford-May, was "the story of Jesus reclaimed as an African fable; a simple concept becomes a remarkable cinematic experience in Son of Man."

He noted, "Andile Kosi plays Jesus, who is born in the state of Judea in southern Africa, where violence and poverty are rife.