They met as children, innocents from two different worlds. And from that moment their lives were fated to be forever entwined.

Timothy: abandoned at birth, he finds a home and a dazzling career within the Catholic church. But the vows he takes cannot protect him from one soul-igniting passion.

Daniel: the scholarly son of a great rabbi, he is destined to follow in his father's footsteps. And destined to break his father's heart.

Deborah: she was raised to be docile and dutiful - the perfect rabbi's wife - but love will lead her to rebellion. And into worlds the patriarch would never dare imagine.

Reaching across more than a quarter of a century, from the tough streets of Brooklyn to ultramodern Brasilia to an Israeli kibbutz, this is an unforgettable story of three extraordinary lives . . . and one forbidden love.