William Mather, aged in his fifties, once believed in the tribulations of the Almighty which afflicted these colonies of the New World. Now he knows the truth: they have sinned, and terribly, for this is not a trial or a punishment of God which follows them now. Nay, it is His abandonment which has allowed the forces of evil to plague them. Mankind must rely now on its own wits if it is to survive; for prayer will scrub none of their woes away.