The novel alternates between two storylines set 400 years apart in France:

In the late 16th century, Isabelle du Moulin is a young Catholic woman forced to convert to Protestantism after marrying into a Huguenot family. She must give up her beliefs in the Virgin Mary and her skills as a midwife. Isabelle struggles to adapt to her new life and the strict religious rules imposed on her.

In the late 20th century, Ella Turner moves from California to the small French town of Lisle-sur-Tarn. She discovers a centuries-old degraded statue of the Virgin Mary and becomes obsessed with restoring it, connecting her to Isabelle's story from long ago.

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