In the wake of an eco-catastrophe, civilization has risen again in a form at once familiar and horrific. It is an age that has elevated Herod's Slaughter of the Innocents into a sacrament, justifying hideous death with the blessings of a twisted faith. All life is sacred until it is born. A woman's place is to submit, to obey. A woman's place is to give over her newborn for exposure on a hillside if the child is flawed in any way, even if it sborn the wrong sex. A woman's place is not to decide these things. One woman, Becca of Wiseways Stead, will not accept her place. Becca's desire for change forces her to ultimately confront her vision of herself as she was raised. But thought she is name a vessel of miracles by Gilber Livvy of the hidden tribes, will the secret she carries by miracle enough to redeem a world?

The sequel to The Psalms of Herod, this book concludes the harrowing journey of Becca of Wiserways Stead. Escaping her oppressive, rural stead, Becca journeys toward the magical city where her brother lives, certain that his knowledge will save her and her kin. But after finally arriving there, she is overwhelmed by the strange ways of the Coop citizens. She soon learns that everyone, including her brother, has ulterior motives.