Americans living in virgin wilderness in the first half of the nineteenth century became convinced that the kingdom of God prophesied in the book of Isaiah had finally come to pass. In celebration of the dawning of a new age they gathered in communal societies, built villages, and sought to live holy lives. Far less well-known than the Civil War, the idealism of this era is a fascinating and vital part of American history.

In the 1840s one of these communities sent missionaries to England. A young man named Jesse Griffen had his heart inflamed with the promise of a place in America called Zion. He was bright and full of idealism, and he believed that he would find the perfect society. What he found instead was more lasting.