"I start my story. Which, if I do say so myself, is a fine story for a Sunday drive. It's a love story, at least up to the point that it gets tangled up in death and lies. " And so begins Father Hoven's journey back to St. Jude and back to the memory of a time when he was "right out of the seminary and ready to set the world straight. " The young priest, however, could hardly be prepared for residents of the Minnesota community who harbored in the midst of their devout natures a host of dark secrets and earthy desires. Father Hoven tells of his early days in their company, speaking alternately with the sweetness of youthful ambitions and the ironic wisdom of old age. His is one of the most delightful voices in American fiction today.