Kerry Wall

Father Jonathan Keene - a cold, impatient Catholic priest arrives in a tiny fishing village the week before Christmas to do what he does best: shut down a dying parish. But things take an unexpected turn as he becomes entangled in the various lives of the village's eccentric characters.

Somewhere in the Middle East, a passionately flamboyant Arab leader whips his people into a frenzy during a protest against America's superpower.