Prince Stefan of New Britannia knows that he must find the way to conquer his human pride and follow the path of grace. This was commanded by the Glory as Book 1 of Land of Angels ended. Now it seems that Stefan's path and that of his twin sister, Princess Anne, will diverge for the first time in their many lives. The Glory has given them the powers of angels--they can heal, they can hear the thoughts of others and see both back in time and, when the Glory permits, into the future. Stefan expects that he will know the Glory's specific plans for him immediately. Instead, he must remain at the Royal Estate through Advent until Ash Wednesday of the coming year. On that day, he will give an internationally screened sermon to mark the beginning of Lent. Stefan longs to return to Master Koto in New Tibet to find out the Glory's will but instead is called upon once again to help his uncle, who is Pope Adrian X, and the monastery of Terre Les Anges, the Land of Angels. He must also help Brother Luke, who was with Stefan in Rome when they found Stefan's best friend, Aidan. Rebecca, Stefan's love, has returned to her studies and a life without Stefan. She wants to explore further the life of Alyssa Craig, as recorded in The Veiled World, the first book of this trilogy. Now Aidan is set to marry Princess Anne, and Stefan has time only for a brief visit to New Tibet until Lent begins. On his return, he accompanies Rebecca to New America, and they are told the secret history of what happened after Alyssa returned to New America. Finally, Stefan is called to the path of grace, where the Glory has given Stefan a choice to follow it or not, and which means he might die in this life. The decision is his.