The idea that a picture is worth a thousand words was both a blessing and a curse to Monica. It initially got her a job with Living Magazine, but her proficiency with the camera was an obstacle to her getting that much sought after position as a journalist. Her stint as an action photographer with an overconfident colleague led to her inheriting his next story.
However, the central premise, that of describing the decline and irrelevance of the church, proved to be far more complex than she originally thought. Monica's research brought her into the company of a young Christian couple, Martin and Neve, who invited her to join them when they visited middle eastern archaeological sites.
The trip brought Monica face to face with uncomfortable facts about the history of the church, and discomforting relationships between the young couple and Martin's father in conflict with Mark, an estranged brother. Amidst the tension of the family history and Mark's hatred of religion, Monica became enmeshed in a battle with her own discontent and a series of events that resulted in an international incident.
How and why all these things occurred would eventually be unravelled by Detective Sergeant Adrian Burton.