The story is about Esther, a young independent-thinking lady in New York society who is offered the opportunity to use her amateur skills to paint one of the saints on the ceiling of a new church. The pastor of the church is attracted to her work, thereby the basis and conflict between the two individuals. Esther does not appear to respond emotionally to his attention but attempts to combine her philosophy of life with that of the pastor. It is only in the last sentence of the book that reality is presented (no fair peeking!). Although written in the late 1800\'s, it is as relevant today as it was at that time.