The Dearly Beloved

James and Nan, Charles and Lily. When Charles and James are jointly engaged to oversee the historic Third Presbyterian Church through difficult times, they first meet in Greenwich Village in 1963. But their differences pose a threat to their relationship.

Charles was set to succeed his father as a distinguished Harvard history professor, but he ends up becoming a minister after attending an unconventional faith-related lecture. So how, when Lily tells him unequivocally that she will never believe in God, can he fall in love with her? She is stylishly severe, yet fiercely intelligent. Still, how is he not able to?

James was raised in a low-income Chicago home and spent most of his childhood hating his drunken father and avoiding his nervous mother. James was the youngest son. As the devoted and adored daughter of a minister and a debutante, Nan was raised in Mississippi. James finds Nan after escaping his dire situation, and although though he doesn't believe in hope at all, her steadfast, compassionate faith alters the trajectory of his life.

These two spouses are followed in The Dearly Beloved through decades of friendship and love, understanding and jealousy, forgiveness and dedication. These four, who are all dealing with uncertainty, loss, and delight, carve unlikely paths through their changing relationships against the backdrop of turbulent changes that the city and the church's flock are experiencing. This moving meditation explores marriage and kids, faith and reason, and the various ways we derive meaning from our lives.