Lucas Murdoch isn't what he seems to be: a successful New York City salesman, retired at the age of 53, and searching for his roots in the quiet New England town of Pennington. But Lucas is a man with an obsession that governs everything he says and does. With subtle skill, he inserts himself into the lives of the townspeople, coldly analyzing the weaknesses of everyone he meets: Henry Smythe, a seminary drop-out who sees himself as the town's religious leader; Leo Sage, a loner with a mysterious past; Fay Geneen, a librarian who has learned to live without love; Sarge Schreiner, a policeman who had to leave the force; and Emily Schuyler Grant, the wealthy dowager who rules the town and her teen-aged granddaughter, Jeanette, with an iron hand. By the time he leaves Pennington, Lucas has forever changed their lives--and his.