This is Part II of the story which began with the previous volume, The Ice Meadows, which introduced the Reverend Joseph Stevenson and the many characters and events which shaped his life. As he contends against an impossible wall of denial and the love he feels for his wife and son, he continues to try to maintain a stable home and shepherd a growing congregation in a confusing and troubled world. Although life is a vale of tears and he faces abandonment by the church he has loved since childhood, he continues to strive and gain strength from a compassionate God. With a sense of humor and love of the beauty of creation, he carries on with confidence that the battle has already been won for us.