One simple man, John Smith, a man who has lost all of his material wealth, decides that he has finally had enough. Outraged over a premeditated war and an outlaw administration, feels compelled to go to Washington, D.C., to ask the President and Vice President to step down. Thus begins his vigil, waiting outside the White House, and asking passers-by to join him in the wait.
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Who is John Smith? He is the American populace, crying out in the wilderness, feeling helpless, hopeless, and powerless in the face of political parties that ignore their true wishes and answer only with lip service to their needs.

Who is Margaret Farmer? She is the American, middle-class woman trying to achieve without having a degree, doing everything right yet always being passed over in favor of men or insiders. Working harder and longer, she receives little attention and even less recognition.

Who is Father David McGrath? He is a Catholic Priest with a true desire to serve God rather than a religious dogma. His years of heading a homeless shelter in central Washington D.C. have removed any idealistic illusions about carrying his cross. His relationship with John Smith brings about a moral crisis; he is like Saint Francis who discovers he has been building the wrong cathedral to God.


Who is Michael Weathers? He is a young African-American with all the tools for success, except for opportunity. He is Lot’s one good man; facing the street scene at an early age, he chooses the path of peace and religion. He is a Christ-like figure who represents the good in us all, without which we would be unworthy of salvation.

Who is Terry Burkhalter? He is blue-collar America: he is rude and crude but with straightforward, common-sense wisdom. He has an intellectual mind with a blue-collar mouth. He is strong and powerful and unafraid of anything or anyone. He is the America that will not be trampled down or silenced.

The moral is not an answer, but questions: is the hand of God at work in the world today? Or are good and evil just random forces that collide in the universe and travel in random patterns? Does evil prosper when good men do nothing? Does it have to be good men or just any men?

The book asks this question of us: who are we as a society, really? Are we the holy, upstanding, God-fearing Christians that we claim to be, or merely The Servants of Pilate? It ends on a positive and uplifting note that we, as individuals, can be redeemed, that the destination is not the end of the journey but only a way station to the next terminal.