The pope is dead - but the papacy lives on. Already, from all corners of the globe, grizzled, scarlet-suited cardinals are gathering to elect a successor. Within the hushed confines of the Vatican, the air is alive with intrigue. Then in the midst of the most frenzied canvassing, comes a surprise result. The new Pope, Kiril I, is the youngest cardinal - and a Russian, recently released from seventeen years in the labour camps.

Edward Maichin's eloquent sermons and blond good looks have ensured his popularity amongst his congregation in the small Welsh mining community where he and his family live. But at home, the dark side of Edward's character runs riot, and since his errant father ran away to America, his mother and younger siblings have been powerless to prevent Edward's cruelty which dominates their lives. Only his younger sister Theo, a gifted writer haunted by her stillborn twin, is brave enough to defy Edward's hypocrisy.