A novel set in a Greek village under Ottoman rule, where the people prepare their yearly Passion play. The villagers chosen to play Christ, the apostles and other roles begin to feel the weight of their parts. Meanwhile a band of starving refugees arrives, driven from their own burned village, and the comfortable village leaders and priest react with fear and hardness. The story turns on the clash between selfishness and compassion. It is a stark, powerful portrait of a community tested by its own professed Christian values.