Ed Piazza, the Secretary of State of the small United States being forged in war-torn Germany during the Thirty Years War, has a problem on his hands. A religious conference has been called in nearby Rudolstadt which will determine doctrine for all the Lutherans in the nation. The hard-fought principle of religious freedom is at stake, threatened alike by intransigent theologians and students rioting in the streets. As if that weren't bad enough: \* the up-time American Lutherans are themselves divided; \* a rambunctious old folk singer is cheerfully pouring gasoline on the flames; \* and a Calvinist "facilitator" from Geneva is maneuvering to get the U.S. involved with the developing revolutionary movement in Naples. Stories include: \* Portraits by Eric Flint \* Anna's Story by Loren Jones \* Curio and Relic by Tom Van Natta \* The Sewing Circle by Gorg Huff \* The Rudolstadt Colloquy by Virginia DeMarce \* Radio in the 1632 Universe by Rick Boatright \* They've Got Bread Mold, So Why Can't They Make Penicillin? by Robert Gottlieb \* Horse Power by Karen Bergstralh