In 1851 Bishop Latour and his colleague Father Vaillant are dispatched to New Mexico to revitalise its slumbering Catholicism. In this harsh, beautiful and alien land, they strive to blend their own refined French culture and subtle beliefs with the earthy sensuality and vivid traditions of their flock. Moving towards the endless prairies they leave converts and enemies, crosses and occasionally ecstacy in their wake but it takes a death for them to make their mark on the landscpe forever. In this seductive and thoughtful novel, based on the life of a real priest, Cather celebrates both human and religious values and salutes the nobility of an ancient culture.