Absolute truths

The year is 1965, and Charles Ashworth has risen to bishop of Starbridge, a post that demands a schedule as punishing as any executive's. Backed by loyal aides and by his poised, resilient wife, he has made himself a public champion against the moral laxity of the day, earning the nickname "Anti-Sex Ashworth." His opponents rarely outmaneuver him. He has buried the painful experiences of his earlier life and presents himself as a decisive, unshakable churchman.

Then something unexpected and unthinkable happens. Ashworth begins to see how much of his own story he has been telling himself for years, concerning his marriage, his children, and even his convictions about the Church. His longtime rival, Dean Neville Aysgarth, comes under his suspicion for heavy drinking, financial wrongdoing, and an affair. Ashworth is dismayed to find himself drawn toward the very behavior he has condemned so loudly.