Jeremy Stanford has a secret, or so everybody believes. Stanford, a militant atheist professor-turned passionate believer has penned an essay in which he references the end of the world. And the world's attention turns to the elusive Stanford, seeking clarification. The sleepy Virginia mountain town of Harper Heights -Stanford's home -is besieged by the curious, the devout, the agnostic, and disbelievers. Rumors of the sighting of an angel and the approach of a brutal storm front on a collision course with the town further increase attention, but Stanford refuses any and all interviews. That is, except for an out of work, dispassionate believer named Collin Richards. Over the course of a week, Collin endeavors to find out just what the old man knows about God and the end of the world -but what Collin learns, including from Stanford's daughter, will far exceed his assignment.