Teenage Roland truly wants a relationship with God, wants to know more about the teachings of Jesus, but the churches his aunts and uncles attend aren't any better than his old church, where the Reverend seemed more interested in everyone tithing and his own lavish lifestyle than in being a "shepherd" of his flock; different, yes, but not better. Roland has no interest in attending the church where his one uncle is the preacher and a leading member of the local KKK, or an aunt's church where congregants are "caught up in the Holy Spirit" and writhe in the aisles and pews or speak in tongues. Roland's grandfather had taught him that faith isn't showy, a thing to be displayed; it's simple and quiet, an unwavering belief that all things work for the good of those of seek the good. Roland sees the beauty of that simplicity and knows it's the kind of faith he wants. Despite the peer pressure to conform, Roland rejects the religious tenets of the churches his various family members attend and embarks on his own quest, seeks his own path to God. In doing that, he comes to the realization that all paths to God are valid because all people choose their own Path, and that is the simplicity he sought. Roland McCray's story is clothed in beautifully vivid, descriptive imagery, and is, in some small way, everyone's story.