This is the sixth and final novel in a series by Susan Howatch about the dynamics of sin and grace in the lives of clergy and lay members of the Church of England. In these fictional works, the author shows how any understanding of God is inextricably linked with the quest for self-awareness. Howatch's major talent is an ability to reveal the significance of abstract theological concepts, such as redemption or forgiveness, through the down-to-earth dilemmas and everyday deeds of conflicted religious men and women.
In 1965 Charles Ashworth is Bishop of Starbridge. This former Cambridge professor takes great pride in the absolute truths of Christianity which are at the heart of his faith. He comes across as a hard-liner to the more liberal members of the Church of England and has earned the nickname "Anti-Sex Ashworth" for his stands against the erotic excesses of a permissive society.
Ashworth's establishment faith and his prophetic sense of ministry are shattered by the death of his wife. Suddenly, he is forced to square off against hatreds, passions, and ghosts that had been kept under cover for years.
There is the soul-searching that grows out of Ashworth's discovery of his wife's journals. There is a struggle with his two grown sons and the impact his strict morality has had upon them. And there are the life-affirming epiphanies he receives from his wise spiritual director and from a priest who helps him come to terms with a man who has haunted him for a long time.
In this novel, grief is a tidal wave that knocks Ashworth for a loop and then enables him to become a much more compassionate, forgiving, and rounded human being. At one point, a priest who has a healing ministry says, "It has been my experience that all things can be worked by God into his creative and redemptive purposes." That is the spirtually uplifting message of this thematically rich novel by Susan Howatch.