Mary Magdalene is the narrator and principal character of this novel. She was the first person who saw the risen Jesus and was entrusted by him with the mission of informing his disciples--but they did not believe her. The New Testament tells little about her character except that she was generous and faithful. In this fictional retelling, she emerges as a woman of strength and integrity, struggling to be herself in a patriarchal society. In this she is a believable role model for marginalized women of all times and places.