For four hundred years, the Cistercian monks who inhabited Tintern Abbey toiled, prayed, and strived to fulfill their spiritual commitment to a monastic life. Those who joined the order anticipated a peaceful existence devoted to praising God. But medieval times were troubled times, and the abbey endured struggle along with serenity. Civil war, the Black Plague, and the English Reformation all took their toll. Would the monks' faith prove stronger than the hardships they faced?