A philosophical novel that follows John Gegenuber, a former Episcopal priest who has given up his parish and vocation to become a real estate agent. After having corrective surgery for a cleft palate, John has been invited to go on a romantic weekend trip to a secluded country estate with Thalia, a young woman who has undergone the same cosmetic surgery. Their weekend together is tested in the sudden and premature labor of a young pregnant woman who lives at the estate ed with only common sense to guide them, faith and instinct become paramount for the mother and her newborn.