Russia, 1900

A new Archbishop's arrival in a little village threatens to put an end to the backdrop of steadily declining faith of the Russian priesthood.

A story of Secrecy, Betrayal, and Humbleness. This Christian historical fiction presents the drama of a cleric who uses his unique and stunning methods to transform the "modernized" priesthood and its parishioners, bringing Christianity's authentic way of life into their community.

Plot... Refusing to go to the monastery for repentance, Father Paul begins to question his faith, including all the Christian principles that have guided his vocational path. In a moment of despair, he abandons his parish and starts wandering the country in search of an answer to his ever-tormenting question:

"If God exists, why does He allow such suffering in the world?"

Set against the backdrop of a harsh and cold Russian countryside along the River Volga, with its unyielding poverty and hardships, The Archbishop follows Father Paul as he searches to understand God and the parlous state of the world around him.

The course of his journey takes an unexpected turn when he meets a stranger who speaks of an Archbishop, original and brave, who had recently been appointed in a far away parish. In his quest for the truth, Father Paul decides to head towards the parish, hoping that the Archbishop will answer his question. But what he finds there will completely change his life.

Condemned, burned, and banned by iconoclastic Bolsheviks during the earliest years of Soviet Russia as it pushed an agenda of militant atheism, The Archbishop's spiritual guidance was almost lost among countless other works.

The Archbishop provides deep spiritual insight and guidance into a world distant from ours, despite the chasms of difference in culture, time, and space. Sometimes funny, often tragic, and other times angering, this hidden Orthodox gem does not shy away from asking big questions - nor from answering them. It remains a work full of spiritual lessons that will resonate profoundly with the modern-day American Orthodox clergy and their laity.