A novel based on the lives of the author's maternal grandparents' lives as missionaries to China. The blurb says, "A powerful novel about a young couple whose marriage and faith are put to the test in revolutionary China." That's an excellent summation. It is a very realistic presentation of missionary life (sometimes that's glamorized--why, I don't know!), beautifully written, a deeply moving love story and "a profound meditation on the mysteries of belief." The central characters are Will and Katherine, Mennonites, who pour out their lives in service to the people in the "city of tranquil light." She is the "medicine woman" and he the teacher. The narrator alternates between Will and Katherine--they reveal their responses to circumstances, but also their hearts and minds, their suffering and joy, their convictions and their doubts.