Elizabethan England is a place of turmoil. The Renaissance, the Reformation, the discovery of a New World - these have converged all at once to overturn centuries of tradition. People are scrambling to cope with the new reality.
Into that overturned world step the main characters of this book. They are, for the most part, people of deep religious conviction. Unfortunately, their convictions do not always accord with the spirit of their times. Much of the drama in this book is about their struggle to cope, survive, and perhaps prosper.
In 1580, three men meet on the road to Chelmsford, England. Each of them has a different reason for being there. They share a brief day of camaraderie, which develops into an unexpected web of obligation and friendship, unlikely as it would seem. One of them, a Catholic priest, is a fugitive from the government, accused of treason. Another, a Puritan scholar involved in a plot to overthrow the hierarchy of the Church of England, is also living a double life. The third man, a carpenter, wants nothing more than to navigate his way to a stable and prosperous life. But the times and the forces that shape them will lead each man to an unexpected destiny.
Each man will have his faith tested. Each is in conflict with the ruling political and religious institutions of his time. Each must find a way to survive without abandoning his faith. Each must deceive to cling to the truth.
Along the way, their lives become entangled with numerous other characters - only a few of whom are known to history. These are ordinary lives, notwithstanding the drama. For some, the struggle between their faith and their society is simply too difficult - they will attempt to build a culture of their own, outside England, on a distant shore - in North America.
