This third novel in Susan Howatch's Church of England saga follows the story of the Archdeacon Neville Aysgarth whose talent for his job seems to be his only virtue. As the novel unfolds, a very different man appears, one who has compassion and pity for the German prisoners of war. The author has also writen Penmarric, Cashelmara, The Wheel of Fortune, Glittering Images and Glamorous Powers.