Jubal is the son of an important priest in the First Temple; the prophet is Jeremiah; and the time is Jerusalem under siege by the Babylonian Army. Jubal's father leads the struggle against Babylon. Jeremiah pleads for submission to Babylon. Jubal, of course, would rather follow his father, but in spite of this natural desire, he is convinced by the message and personality of Jeremiah. His struggles lead him directly into adventure. With his friend Ezra he outwits the commander of the gates of Jerusalem, the jailer who would torture the prophet, and then this boy of courage and wisdom fights heroically in the final battle. All this, and more is the theme of the book, a story that is filled with constant action, colorful background and human as well as spiritual emotion. "Jeremiah was the most disquieting of all the prophets. To this day there are some who call him traitor. If, however, a prophet is—as I believe he is—God's instrument, a man who speaks because a Power greater than he compels him to speak, there can be no question about Jeremiah's integrity. Nevertheless, the human being is also present; and it is the tension between the prophet's function as God's mouthpiece, and his humanity as a patriot, that constitutes the theme of this book: he must condemn his people and his country even while he loves them."—Frieda Clark Hyman