Carnivàle follows the exploits of its titular carnival as they travel across the American dust bowl in the 1930s. At the beginning of the series, these nomadic showpeople pick up Ben Hawkins (Nick Stahl), an ex-con with a mysterious past (and inexplicable powers). Interwoven into the show is the contrasting story of Brother Justin Crowe (Clancy Brown), a preacher who finds himself on the receiving end of nightmarish, foreboding visions which convince him he is God’s messenger: a man with divine purpose.