Description:

On the Capcir Plateau in the mountains of the French Pyrénées the past and the present intermingle in a story of love and persecution. Mary is a historian researching the ancient heretics, the Cathars, and John is a priest reflecting on his vocation. Both have been damaged by experiences in the recent past and are both wary of relationships. Mary's terrifying nightmares confuse her research with past traumatic experiences of her own. The plot moves through the minefields of domestic violence, the boundaries of celibacy and mental illness. New age hippie travellers and local characters become involved as the story develops into a modern day battle for the soul of the mountains. Through their experiences together John and Mary have to come to terms with the events that have sent them to this remote area of the south of France. John Butterfield's novel brings together insights from psychology, history, mysticism and theology in a modern love story.